Top Onion Websites That You Won’t Regret Visiting

Introduction of the Dark Web and Tor Network

Dark Web

In general, we symbolically use the term Dark Web to describe those parts of the internet that go undetected or effectively invisible.

To be specific, Dark Web is the part of the internet that can’t be accessed through search engines like Google or Yahoo, because it’s hidden on purpose.It is essentially the eBay of the underworld. The dark web is the sharpest double sword in the digital landscape.

While notorious cyber criminals utilize it for illegal activities, most of them use it because it gives you the required privacy and anonymity online. This article unravels the deep mystery behind the dark web that helps you visit top dark websites safely.

If you are a cybersecurity enthusiast, you know that the dark web is probably the only way to browse the internet privately. It minimizes the chances you will be snooped on, have your traffic being monitored, have your ISP log everything you do, or avoid some random hacker who is just looking for his next victim. In the most simplified terms, the dark web is a decentralized network of encrypted internet sites and isn’t recognized by search engines. For example, if you Google something about a VPN, any website about VPNs that isn’t on the search engine database means that it’s technically part of the Dark Web. It also doesn’t mean if a website is on the Dark Web, it’s illegal. It just signifies that search engines like Google and Yahoo haven’t indexed these websites. In that way, the particular site will not show up in the search results.

Tor Network

So, how exactly are people able to keep their anonymity intact while surfing the dark web? It’s because when you access the Dark Web, you are not surfing the interconnected servers that you usually interact with. Instead, everything is on the Tor network that encrypts web traffic in every layer. As a result, even someone controlling this encryption will not be able to intercept the traffic. A Tor network essentially renders an IP address that is unidentifiable and untraceable by external parties. Before accessing the dark web content, one should also understand that a Tor network can be unpredictable, unreliable, and painfully slow due to multiple encryption levels.

The History of the Dark Web

As the internet began to grow in the 1990s, privacy was not a big concern. Everything that was posted online could be traced back to the individual that posted it. The idea of a private internet was first proposed and implemented by a team of researchers working for the US Government. Thus, the creation of the dark web goes back to the 1990s. It all started when US military researchers wanted to create a way to allow intelligence operatives to exchange information secretly. They called it Tor, which is popularly known as the onion router.

Tor works by creating something called an overlay network, which goes on top of your existing network connection. Instead of your network traffic going over your normal internet connection unencrypted, it goes through the encrypted overlay Tor network. With the way that Tor works, the more people using it, the more secure and anonymous it is. Soon the US Government decided to release it into the public domain for everybody to use.

When the US Government uncovered the Onion Routing Technology, it was quickly adopted into an open-source project that we know today as Tor. Tor is the software that you need to download to access onion sites. As soon as it came into the market, it quickly widespread. Currently, Tor is being used by millions of people. As we already said, Tor is used for everyday innocent web browsing and illegal online activities.

Dark Web vs. Deep Web

Sometimes, internet users confuse the deep web with the dark web. Both of them are two different things. Only a small part of the internet is accessible through a standard web browser, generally known as the clear web. The Deep web contains harmless data in digitized records, which is available below the surface of the clear web. The deep web content includes anything that requires sign-in credentials such as password-protected social media accounts, Government database, membership sites, or medical records. The estimated size of the deep web is between 96%-99% of the internet. On the other hand, the dark web is the subset of the deep web, which is intentionally hidden from the rest of the world. Nobody exactly knows the size of the dark web, but most estimates put it around 5% of the entire internet.

The dark web is comprised of hidden web services. If you look at the address of a dark website, you will see a random string of numbers and letters. All dark websites will end in ‘.onion.’

Here is an example of a dark website – https://p53lf57qovyuvwsc6xnrppyply3vtqm7l6pcobkmyqsiofyeznfu5uqd.onion/

If you try to type this into a normal web browser, it will not work. To access a dark site, you will need to download and use a dark web browser. You can use the popular and widely used Tor browser, run by the Tor project.

About the Tor Browser

Tor browser is a technology that bounces internet users and websites traffic through relays run by thousands of volunteers worldwide, making it extremely hard for anyone to identify the source of the information or the location of the user. Tor Browser isolates each website you visit so that third-party trackers and ads can’t trace you.

Although there are so many web browsers like Brave to come with the integrated Tor feature, this is not recommended to access the dark websites. The reason is you can’t blend in with other Tor users, as your browser fingerprint is completely varying. The best way to blend in with as many Tor users as possible is by using the standard Tor browser.

Getting on the dark web is a lot easier than you might think. However, finding the material you are looking for on the dark web is more difficult than using Google. The dark web doesn’t have an index or a ranking system, helping you find what you need.

Top .onion Websites to Explore Now

Now you know what a dark web is, but you are not too sure where to start. Here are some handy dark websites to help you get started.

Before getting into the list, you should understand that it’s absolutely essential to be careful while browsing the dark web. Although the dark web is an interesting place with lots of websites to explore, it is equally dangerous, and you need to be extremely cautious while you are using it.

• Hidden Answers
• Facebook
• Mail2Tor
• SecureDrop
• ProPublica

1. Hidden Answers

Hidden Answers can be termed as the Reddit of the dark web. Hidden Answers works exactly like Reddit. You can ask questions, participate in forum discussions, and start your own thread. The major advantage of using the medium is you are completely anonymous. If you are looking for a secure alternative to Reddit, or if it’s not available in your region due to censorship, Hidden Answers could be your best bet.

2. Facebook

Yes, you read that right. It will be surprising for many to know that you can access Facebook through the dark web. You can connect to Facebook using the official Facebook onion site via the Tor browser. By doing this, you can access this popular social media site without any censorship. If you don’t trust the dark web version of Facebook, there are so many dark web-based social media sites like the Galaxy 3 and The Likes of the Dread.

3. Mail2Tor

Mail2Tor is a secure email provider, which lets anyone send and receive emails anonymously. It is completely secure, as all messages are encrypted, and the company doesn’t track your IP address. As you are probably aware, most email services are not up to the mark in terms of privacy. Your email provider has access to your entire account, including your inbox. They can also track information related to your calendar invites and meetings. Mail2Tor is a great alternative to traditional email services. It’s available only through the Tor network.

4. SecureDrop

SecureDrop is an open-source online whistleblowing submission system created for the freedom of the Press Foundation. It uses the anonymity of the Tor network to promote secure and private communication between whistleblowers and news entities. With SecureDrop, journalists can securely receive documents and tips from sources. You can access the hidden services of SecureDrop only in the Tor network. Though legal, it’s always advisable to exercise caution while accessing the SecureDrop site, depending on your location.

5. ProPublica

ProPublica is the first journalism outlet to have its own dark web version. All ProPublica content is legal, which means you won’t find much variation with the clear web version. You can access ProPublica through the Tor browser to get an additional layer of anonymity and privacy. Similarly, popular journal sites like the BBC and the New York Times also have versions of .onion sites.

Ways to Access the Dark Web Safely

Browsing the dark web is not always safe, even if you are using it to visit only legal websites. Remember that there is a bunch of risks, even if you don’t go to illegal sites. For instance, people can infect your device with viruses. Hackers may hack into your computer if you dig around too much into the dark web.

A VPN is a tool that helps you stay safe when diving deep into the crazy underworld of the Tor.

Though setting up Tor is a good start to keep yourself secure and anonymous while browsing the internet, remember that Tor only protects you to a certain extent. Your internet provider can see you connecting to the Tor network. Since Tor is most often associated with illegal activities, this allows anyone with access to your internet traffic logs to accuse you of illegal activity, regardless of whether you have or have not done anything illegal.

The Tor network is illegal in some countries. You may land in trouble if the ISP hands over your activity logs to a legal body in such countries. That’s when a VPN can help you.

A VPN hides out all connection from your ISP, which helps you stay anonymous. When choosing a VPN to use with Tor, it’s important to find a service that we can trust. Hence, it’s essential to go for a service provider that doesn’t record any logs of your internet activity at all. Investing in a premium VPN service can benefit you in many ways. More than encrypting your internet traffic, it can bypass region locks.

Best VPNs to Access the Tor Network

Can you access the dark web with a VPN?

Yes, a VPN is a tool that helps you access the dark web securely and anonymously. It prevents your ISP and other unwanted external parties from monitoring and tracking your activities in the Tor network.

Is it dangerous to download Tor?

Tor is a safe place only if you are into innocent browsing. It has many useful sites, allowing you to get benefitted anonymously. However, since Tor is a place where lots of illegal activities happen, it’s always advisable to secure your connection before entering the network.

Is Tor illegal?

Tor is legal in most of the places. According to the Tor project, none of the countries in the world has labeled the Tor network as illegal. Some countries may restrict the usage of Tor because of its association with illegal content and security vulnerabilities.

Is Tor a VPN?

No, Tor and VPN are two different things. While Tor is a private network where you can access the dark web content online, a VPN is a tool that encrypts your traffic from third parties to keep your internet connection protected. Both Tor and VPN have one thing in common. People use them for privacy and anonymity while using the internet.

Can you get hacked on Tor?

Though the Tor network is an anonymous place to access the dark web content, it’s still a vulnerable zone. As you probably know, a lot of bad people visit the Tor network every day. There will be hackers waiting to find their next victims. Therefore, it’s always wise to secure your connection before visiting an onion site.