You may have heard the terms Tor and dark web in the media. However, using these websites isn’t nearly so dangerous as it sounds. In fact, it’s quite easy to get up and running.
The dark web is comprised of websites that aren’t indexed by search engines like Google. The dark web is a section of the internet where information and content could otherwise be kept secret. For example, email inboxes, online banking logins and 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 also several sites that have legitimate reasons. For instance, the website SecureDrop is a dark web site that permits whistleblowers to send sensitive information to news organizations anonymously. There are sites that help people buy and sell stolen credentials, such as credit card numbers, passwords and social security numbers. These websites are commonly referred to as “marketplaces” and the most well-known examples are Silk Road and AlphaBay, however there are many others which have been shut down.
The key to surfing the dark web is a network dubbed Tor that routes your connection through a set of servers run by volunteers that are spread around the world. This makes it difficult for anyone to monitor your activity. The name Tor comes from the fact that the data it encrypts is layer by layer, like the layers of read the article a pizza. This protects anonymity.