You’ve probably heard of the terms Tor and dark web in the media. However, using these sites is not so dangerous as it sounds. Actually, it’s easy to get up and running.
The dark web consists of pages that aren’t indexed by search engines such as Google. The dark web is the area of the internet in topknow.org/features-comparison-of-total-av-vs-avast which data and content could otherwise be kept secret. For example, email inboxes along with online banking logins as well as Google Drive folders live on the deep web. They aren’t accessible to the general public using a standard browser.
On the dark web, there are numerous sites that are used for legitimate purposes. For instance, the website SecureDrop is a dark web site that permits whistleblowers to send sensitive information to news agencies anonymously. There are websites where people can buy and sell stolen credentials, including credit card numbers and passwords. These are referred to as “marketplaces. The most famous examples are Silk Road, AlphaBay and many others.
The key to surfing the dark web is a network dubbed Tor which routes your connection through a variety of servers that are run by volunteers, which are distributed throughout the world. This makes it difficult for anyone to track your movements. Tor is named this way because the data it encodes traverses a variety of layers, similar to the onion layering on a pizza, which helps ensure your privacy.