Nowadays people are curious to know the ways to have Dark Web access. To ease them with their curiosity, I am introducing them to the hidden world of Internet. I have made a decision to share my opinion about it. These days the Internet is used by thousands of people every day. The general people are restrained from accessing the abundant information which is at one’s disposal on the Internet. The most common reason is that they are actually hidden in the website’s deeper side by Internet Service Providers. For example, Google makes them inaccessible for indexing.
Surprisingly, 96% of the available information on Internet is out of the reach of the common public. Only 4% of all the content is all we are permitted to access. The term ‘Dark Web” is used for this invisible world of the Web which doesn’t exist for general surfers. For some specific reasons, all the private data such as financial statements, emails, medical reports and confidential databases are secured from the common search engine bots.
Despite private data, Dark Web contains many other secrets that exist on a communication network called as overlay network. Dark Net are such an example which requires a special software in order to enter a certain website. Hence, the idea popularly known as Dark Web has evolved.
We are going to explain you deeply what Dark Web actually is and the ways to access it. Without further ado, let’s get started.
What Is The Dark Web And How Is It Different From The Deep Web?
Deep Web & Dark Web are the generic terms used which are the synonyms of each other. The reason behind this is Dark Web being a tiny subdivision of Deep Web. Invisible Internet Project (IP), Tor and Freon are the sensor-restraint platforms included in Dark Web. Tor platform constitutes a large portion of sites on Dark Web. The highest level domain of Dark Web & IIP platform is .onion and .i2P respectively. .onion based sites are easy to access in comparison to the later one.
Dark Net is a different sub-system which is oftentimes called as the modern Wild West. It creates a different path which is apart from the systematic ‘surface web’, the one accessed by millions daily. It uses ‘Village’ as its own service provider which has the similar look like the most popular search engine ‘Google’. The facts about Dark Web & Deep Web has just got interesting, don’t stop reading. Read more about scary facts about dark web and deep web.
Different Aspects of Dark Web
Dark Web has many scary and controversial aspects. Market banned items like psychotropic substances, assault rifles and even neurotics are easily available to buy here. You can even rent a Hitman, supposedly on Dark Net marketplace. In 2013, ‘Silk Road Web’ was shut by the United States Law. It was considered as the most infamous and maligned Dark Web, we will discuss the details in a bit.
Today the United State Police department are at the front to fight against Dark web. What an Irony! Just so you know, US military experimenters were the founders of Tor network in 1990s. Earlier this technology was used in the movement of information anonymously. US Intelligence Establishment exclusively used this technology to transfer information to their faithful henchmen around the world. Eventually, the software got released for use of the general public.
How to Access the Dark Web?
Gaining access to Dark Net is not too complicated as it seems. All you need to know is how? Dark Web can be accessed by various different networks. As stated earlier, the process varies and usually depends on the sites of which the person wants access. Since Tor hosts more than 90% sites, we will have an overlook on the ways of using different sites on Tor network, just for the sake of this article.
‘Tor’ is a special open software which you need to gain access to the dark websites which are Tor-based. You can download it from the link torproject.org. But be careful, it requires to be configured exactly in the sequence as needed. I would suggest downloading ‘Tor browser Bundle’ as it has an improvised version of Mozilla Firefox. It also has Vidalia control desk, it would be the easy way for you.
The next task includes installing the file on the computer. In order to do so, you have to start the .exe file. All set to start now. Just remember you have to double click to the Tor shortcut icon whenever you desire to connect to the browser. Then wait for a while to get the network running.
A browser opens up automatically and you are good to go once everything is done. The dark web links are now accessible for you to surf the deeply hidden secrets.
Things to Remember
You can now use the websites which are not indexed on the specific search engines. On Dark Net you will able to effectively use a larger platform of URLs of the websites. It is the basic thing to remember. You can also use Gram (Onion Link) search engine when you have very less Dark Net URLs available. And you don’t want to lag behind. It is an ancient Tor-based search engine for Dark Web.
The ‘Hidden Wiki’ also has a list of sites of Dark Net which you can always refer to. You have to be very careful on the links you choose because a few of the links are NSFW. Another medium where you can check a large number of Dark Net links is on subreddit like r/DNMsuperlist & r/deepweb.
A Debian built computer software package named Tales can be used to find out Tor-based websites on Dark Web. It traffics all the information via Tor standardly. A USB stick is used to boot the operating system. If any problem arises, you just need to reboot or reformat USB drive and then use Dark Web smoothly.
The Controversy Surrounding the Dark Web
Obviously, the government agencies have assigned units worldwide to monitor these possibly threatening locations on the web. They have roles within their division of cyber-crime. Even though Dark Net has many permissible uses but we can’t hide the fact that it is also a base for criminals to anonymously carryon with sinful activities.
Ross William Ulbricht was popularly known as ‘Der Pirate Roberts’ on the dark web marketplace. He has launched the most defamed site in 2011. As stated earlier, the biggest maligned site, Silk Road which was highly used to trade all illegal businesses. It is also popularly known as ‘eBay of drugs’. It gained much popularity and has acquired its niche as a market for banned narcotics. In October 2013, the FBI banned the site. However, its administrators re-launched it naming ‘Silk Road 2.0’ but it was soon managed by the FBI. Ulbricht was sentenced to life imprisonment for functioning an illegal market. In 2015, he was prosecuted and convicted, and has no chance of parole.
New Dark Web Site
Many dark web marketplaces have popped up since the ban of Silk Road part 2. Each having more advanced encryptions thane another. A website ‘Silk Road Reloaded’ was effectively launched on Dark Web within two hours of banning 2.0 version. It is funny as it seems. The largest marketplace nowadays that contains 225,000 plus drug listings is known as ‘ay Alphabay Market’. It has everything from a tiny quantity of meth to heavy assault rifles. Even the plastic explosives and forged documents. It is not difficult for a dark web to build up which has complete anonymity.
Nothing is hidden in the world of Dark web, it has served as a productive playground for the hackers. Millions of confidential data that exists worldwide are hacked, often sold and bought through various online marketplaces. This personal information exists somewhere in the shadows of Dark web. It is an assumption that ‘Malwares’ are also exchanged on these Webs. Frozlock, Carmen and Notepetia (commonly known as Abdomen 2.0) are such ransomware to be recalled.
Is The Dark Web Illegal?
The answer is a big No. In most countries, accessing Dark Net is not at all illegal and you will not be arrested for using it. Once accessing Dark Web will land you in the maze of the local law. There are few things that I would recommend which are – do not hammer out deal until permitted. The sites that are hosting illegal content like human trafficking or terrorist propaganda and pedophilia, it’s better to stay away from them. It’s advisable to always check the laws in the area you are residing before beginning your adventure in any direction. The following perceptional measures are also our kind advice.
Precautions You Should Take While Entering the Dark Web
It is advisable to use free VPN services available to protect your online identity. The popular belief that Tor hides our true identity which is considered to be true. It is not a complete truth. You have to remove the traces that bring you in light in front of the wrong guys and law enforcement. Hence, there are numerous VPN services available for free that you can subscribe to. Just make sure to delete all the logs which are related to sessions, traffic, metadata or DNS. I would personally suggest CyberHost which tends to be my favorite.
Well, the difficulty doesn’t end here. VPNs are built to protect your privacy. But sometimes they are traceable and anyone can find out about your devices’ software configuration. The solution is to disable the JavaScript available on the Tor Browser. You have to click on NoScript icon which is at the top-left of your browser. This is what you have to do to avoid being caught.
You have to keep in mind that you have to avoid downloading anything from the Dark Web. You must take permission from your local law in order to download something. You must use encrypted e-mail services or disposable email IDs for more protection of your identity. In case you want something downloaded, just make sure to test it on VirusTotal. And only then open the file on computer.
The saying is actually true – if the things sounds good to be true. It definitely is correct. All you need is to keep in mind the above-mentioned precautions to preserve your identity. They are considered as the best provider which keeps your anonymity safe. Know more about VPN for dark websites. Read more about best vpn for darknet and dark web sites.
The Bright Side of the Dark Web
The mainstream media industry generally has a little understanding of a topic and creates a huge mess. Even Deep Web was not well-received World Wide Web by the media for a long time. The press has made Dark Web famous for doing bad deed which actually has come from Alarm-stream Reportage. Well, this is the way a technology works. Many journalists and activists are the ones who actually need the outstanding individual feature that Deep Web provides. A site which is used by many journalists to reveal the illegal government activities is known as WikiLeaks. A Dark Web was recently launched by Facebook, strictly accessible through Tor so that the users can prevent themselves from being stalked by the oppressing party.
Tor is loved by its members and is considered as the ‘survival kit’ especially for Reporters Frontiers. Tor is used to test firewalls by cybersecurity researchers. Tor provides emergency services in case of DNS failures. Human Rights Watch, the ‘International Broadcasting Bureau’ and ‘Global Voice’, are being accessed by major Human Rights organizations. ‘International Broadcasting Bureau’ operates ‘Radio Free run’ which is in Asia and is the Voice of America.
The Dark Web: Different Reach from Reality
For most of us, Dark Net is just a general resource to explore. While for some, Tor anonymity is considered as a matter of life and death. Since there is so much of extra-legal things going on in the hidden web, hence, this is a bit of a Wild West insofar. Many media reporters have brought the reputation of the dark web to a hellhole with false allegations.