The dark web part of the internet is not reachable via search engines like google chrome, firefox, Opera, and Safari. It requires an anonymizing browser like the TOR network system, I2P, and others. As their hidden network and anonymity nature, these browsers overlay the way for illegal activities on the dark web. That services cyber criminals to perform well strategic synchronized malicious cyber attacks.
Cyber security doyens approve that online illegal activities are growing rapidly, becoming more widespread, and intensified. At the same time, these cyber criminal activities may goal a single person or an entire realm.
However, other people like journalists, the military, law enforcement sectors, and other establishments use the darknet via Tor to gain anonymity. So maintaining anonymity is the driver behind using the darknet.
In this post, we have described why anonymity is the key to using the darknet. So let us jump to the post and get each precise detail about it.
Why Anonymity is the Driver Behind the Dark Web Sites
There is a lot of info, about 96%, which is hidden and invisible, non-indexed, or deep Web. However, the dark Web or dark net is a subset of the deep Web used mostly for illegal purposes.
These illegal cyber activities may target a single person or a whole nation. These illegal activities include illegal drugs, data breaches, pornography, ransom attacks, black markets, terrorist attacks, human trafficking, and many more.
The United States Department of Defense began developing the Internet in the 1960s, pouring to network their computer system, and in the 1990s. It became a household term. But till 2013, most people were unaware of the dark Web or darknet.
However, the dark Web has public and private aspects that anyone or only those with the credentials can access if a suitable software system is installed. The absence of accountability on the dark Web or darknet is the primary difference between it and the surface internet and deep Web. Because users’ actions are unidentifiable to anyone watching them as they are anonymous.
Additionally, dark websites are mostly encrypted, which helps to maintain the confidentiality of users’ identities and makes activities untraceable. The anonymity tools are based on overlay networks to help the users communicate globally without revealing their identity or IP address.
Here we have shared different techniques commonly used to gain anonymity on dark sites.
Proxy Used for Anonymity on Dark Web Sites
Proxy is basically for service for filtering and bypassing, which is a gateway between the user and the Internet. It basically separates filtering the end user from the website by working as an intermediary server.
However, the proxy will route your traffic through their servers, hiding your IP and making you anonymous in the procedure. Many proxy servers will record your identity and activity and sell your data to the highest bidder.
So, your location may be hidden from the site you are browsing but not from the proxy server. Plus, hackers can breach their free proxy servers and use your data to commit identity theft.
Below we have shared the best proxy server that helps the anonymity of darknet and dark web sites.
- ProxySite
- Hide.me
- Whoer
- CroxyProxy
- Privoxy
VPN (Virtual Private Network)
When using the dark Web, it is important to protect your online data. A VPN service not only grows your security but also guarantees your privacy. The VPN service encrypts all of a device’s internet traffic and routes it via a middleman server in a location of your selection.
Here we have shared the top 5 VPN virtual private network that benefits you with the anonymity of dark web or dark net sites.
- NordVPN
- ExpressVPN
- Surfshark
- IPVanish
- PrivateVPN
DNS (Domain Name System)
The regular browser is automated to use indexed sites via a DNS index that changes the domain name to an IP address. The DNS (Domain Name System) makes it easy to access web resources. The dark web and Darknet sites bypass indexing, so the dark and regular Web can’t cross-pollinate.
The DNS server lets you specify a fixed IP address that should be used when the browser needs to connect to a particular domain name. It avoids or dominates the standard domain name system that works correspondingly to the host file on your Windows.
Onion Routing
The onion routing procedure is basically for communication over a computer network system. In an onion network, messages are summed up in layers of encoding analogous to layers of an onion which is a crucial feature in the dark Web. Suppose a user sends an HTTPs request to a server, and someone interrupts the entreaty. But that person can’t distinguish that message because it is coded.
However, when a user is still unsatisfied with this level of security and wants to take this to the next level. Or users may not even want anyone snuffling on their network to know which server they are contacting and if they make any requests. In this situation, the onion routing works appropriately.
The onion routing system attention to genuine solutions for low latency internet-based connections. That can endure traffic analysis eavesdropping and other attacks from outsiders (internet routers) and insiders (hackers or onion routing servers).
Tools Used for Anonymity on the Dark Web Sites
Some overlay techniques exist for anonymous emails, anonymous voting communication censorship, private data retrieval, taxonomy, traffic analysis, etc. Many firms and developers provide anonymity services; some are commercial companies such as anonymizer.com. While there are some open-source services which are;
- TOR
- I2P
- FreeNet
- Subgraph O.S
But dark web sites are referred to as onion sites or hidden services only accessible via browsers. The most robust unidentified communication tool is TOR.
Use TOR for Dark Web Anonymity
Tor (the onion router) is the name of a revolutionary confidentiality project run by the United state of America Naval research lab. Tor network is an internet communication way to empower online anonymity.
However, the Tor network leads the cyberspace traffic via thousands of transmits, many of which are set and sustained by volunteers. The communication via the TOR network is encapsulated in layers of encryption comparable to the layers of an onion.
Additionally, Tor facilitates anonymized browsing by allowing traffic to pass onto or through the network via nodes that only know the immediately preceding and following nodes in a relay. While the Tor network is basically a web browser, and you can still browse the surface internet using this software system.
That makes it difficult for anyone to trace your connection from origin to destination. But not the volunteer PCs communicating your data, not your cyberspace service worker, and not the websites or online service you visit.
Some dark or deep web websites can only be accessed via the Tor browser. As per the protective intelligence managing director Vince Warrington, the darknet or dark web sites, primarily those that can be accessed via Tor, are still generally host to illegal activities.
While there is some legitimate site like BBC, now has an onion version of the BBC site. He also states that our research indicates that over 95 percent of onion sites contain illegal material and activities.
How to Access Dark Web Anonymously using the TOR Browser
The easiest way to use the Tor network is via the Tor browser. The Tor browser is robotically linked to the TOR network and spot all your demand over it though confirming concealment. The Tor browser has features that improve security and privacy by disabling JavaScript, automatic image, video loading, and many more.
Users must download, install, and run the Tor browser to use the Tor network for dark web anonymity. It is currently accessible on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Yet there is no official version of the browser for Android and iOS devices.
However, like the other TOR applications, it routes all its traffic over the Tor network. So, a user surfing the Web is truly undercover: the sites you visit see you emerging from a random point on the Internet. And can’t trace their IP address or your associated identity.
Apart from making government or other targeted surveillance more difficult, the Tor browser also functions as a powerful anti-censorship tool for people in countries like Iran and China. The oppressive regimes often block it since it hides any direct connection to domains like Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
Remember that be cautious that the final computer routes your traffic to a destination website in that three-hop system. That called exit node can see all your activity as you connect to a deep and dark website, even if it does not know where that activity comes from.
Who Uses TOR Network for dark web Anonymity?
Most people are familiar with TOR network use for illegal activities. Like, accessing online markets that sell drugs, weapons, financial data, personal data, and many other activities. But many people access the Tor network to circumvent restrictions and avoid online spying. And profiling to disgusting the origin of traffic and fleece sensitive communications.
Here we have shared which people use tor network of darknet and deep web anonymity.
- Law enforcement
- Journalist
- Political Activists
- The US military
- People who live in repressive regions
- People who do not want a third party to detect their online activities
Is there Complete Anonymity of the Dark Web when I Use TOR
If a user wants perfect anonymity using the darknet with the TOR browser, it is impossible to have this. Like any other system, it has its feebleness, such as your system can still be hacked you can still get malware when browsing with TOR. Particularly if you use the Tor network to access dark Web sites.
It is highly advisable to take some protections when using the Tor browser. Here we have shared some things you can prepare to progress your anonymity to using the darknet while using the Tor browser and offline.
- Use TOR Browser Specifically Constructed for TOR
Tor server does not defend all of your computer’s internet traffic when a user runs it. Tor browser only defends properly configured applications to send their internet traffic through the Tor network system. So, users must use the Tor browser, configured from the Tor network, and not use any other insecure and malware browser.
- Control what Data you Deliver Through Dark Web forums
Suppose you visit a dark or deep website using the TOR browser; the network doesn’t distinguish who you are or your accurate location. Inappropriately, many sites enquire for more personal data than they require through web forums. While if users sign in to that website, they still don’t know their location but know who you are.
Moreover, if a user delivers a name, email address, phone number, or any other personal data, they are no longer anonymous to that website and forum. The best protection is to be attentive and careful when filling out web and network forums.
- Use Bridges to Get Anonymity for Dark Web Sites
The Tor network tries to thwart muggers from learning what destination websites you link to. Though by default, it does not stop people viewing a user’s internet traffic from knowing they are consuming the Tor network.
However, if this matters to a user, they can diminish this risk by organizing the Tor network to use a bridge rather than linking directly to the Tor network. Eventually, the best defense is a social tactic: the more Tor users there are close to you and the more assorted their interests, the less unsafe it will be that you are one of them.
- Don’t Use Torrent Over TOR Browser
Torrent file-sharing apps have been detected to overlook proxy settings and make straight networks even when stated to use the Tor browser. Even if your torrent app attaches only through the Tor network, you frequently send out your real IP address in the tracker to get a petition. Because that is how torrents server slog.
- Don’t Open Documents Downloaded Via Tor While Online
The Tor browser will caution you before robotically opening documents held by exterior apps. Users have not overlooked this caution and must be alert when downloading credentials via Tor.
Particularly DOC and PDF files unless you use the PDF viewer made into the TOR browser. These documents can contain internet resources that will be downloaded outside the TOR network by the app that opens them, revealing users’ non-Tor network IP addresses.
However, if a user wants to work with files downloaded from the Tor system, a disconnected computer or danger zone is recommended to make safe PDF files you open. Under non-circumstances, using Bit Torrent and Tor server is safe.
- Don’t Enable Browser Plugins or Addons
Tor Browser will wedge browser plugins like Flash, RealPlayer, QuickTime, and others. They can be operated into see-through your IP address. That is why installing and empowering plugins or addons into the Tor browser is not recommended. The plugins may prevent Tor from harming your anonymity and privacy when using dark and deep Web sites.
- Use the HTTPs Version of the Dark Web Site
Tor will encode your traffic to and within the Tor network. But encoding your traffic to the concluding destination website hinge on the site you are visiting. To help confirm the private encoding of websites, the Tor server contains an HTTPS-only mode to power HTTPS encoding with websites that sustain it.
Users should see the browser URL bar to confirm that sites that offer sensitive data show a deadbolt or onion sign in the address bar. Which demonstrates the appropriate probable name for the website.
Why People Trust TOR Network to Use the Anonymity on Dark Web
Tor Network is still suggested for people who must search the Web secretly. The probable vulnerabilities in the tech world have continued in observation. But it is clear that the TOR is robust as it was.
As per the reports of the TOR network in 2011, the framework of internet stoppages during Egypt’s dissent has been around for much longer. At the same time, the typical United States of America user may not have heard of or even used the TOR network.
However, the TOR network system became an important tool for hundreds of thousands globally. At that time, the user of the Tor network system, including reporters, NGO workers, and internet users in countries where they would otherwise be overdue by restriction.
So the question is why these people trust the TOR. According to the Washington Post, certain government divisions subsidized TOR funding, but Roger Dingledine, the Tor founder, says TOR is open-source software.
Moreover, many people are employed on Tor codes in the open. Therefore someone would probably have observed if the government had robbed malicious code. At the same time, there was an indication that the FBI had battered the communications of TOR users. This FOIA demand discloses no efforts by the NSA to decline the safety or dependability of the TOR network.
The technology media also states that Tor can always keep its users safe; while you can’t ask the Silk Road of the darknet, that doesn’t mean Tor can’t keep you harmless if you use it appropriately. Using it to make a drug territory and order shooting weapons might land you in jail. The Tor blog post states that Tor is an anonymization tool but would not save someone anonymous when linking with unsafe software or unsafe activities.
So moral of the question is TOR is a safe system that maintains users’ anonymity from using the dark web until it is connected with illegal activities.
FAQS
Is the dark web dangerous?
Basically, being on Dak web or dark net is not hazardous though you don’t need to be on it. There are some use cases for the dark net that are not illicit. For instance, in some regions with severe governments that stop access to data online, people use the dark web or darknet to search for data and freely share their opinions.
Is the dark web really anonymous?
Yes, the dark web or dark net is certainly anonymous. It means that dark web users’ identities and IP addresses are concealed from public sight and continue secretly even when interrelating with other users or engaging in any online activity.
Will anonymously browsing the dark web seek attention?
A user connecting to the TOR system might raise eyebrows and seek attention. But it depends on who and where the users are from. While data sent via TOR can’t be tracked or decrypted, the internet service provider and network administrator can still see that you are using the TOR system.
What happens after stealing the data under the Dark Web?
Data are stolen and hacked by black hat hackers, and then all data are sold in an encrypted format to buyers anonymously under the dark web.
Why should you access the dark web carefully?
The dark web or dark net is just for criminal activity, which can be accessed using conventional search engines. Users will find things like illegal content, stolen data, disturbing and dangerous items and services that are harmful to them, so they must be careful when accessing the dark web.
Final Thoughts
Users will get many things when they enter the dark web sites, mostly including illegal activities. But you know you can’t access the dark web using the normal browser. Users have to use a specific browser like Tor, I2p, and FreeNet to maintain their anonymity, which is the main key behind the usage of dark web or darknet sites.
So in this inspirational post, we have shared much information regarding the anonymity of the darkweb or darknet, counting why anonymity is the key behind darkweb usage and how you can access Tor to use the darkweb anonymously. And why people trust the Tor network to use the anonymity of the darkweb and darknet.
Let us know in the comment box if you ever use the dark web and deep web via the Tor network or any other browser, and don’t forget to share what interesting things you find in that.