Then get a VPN to help protect your privacy on dark web websites or wherever you browse online. However, many are used for illegal activity and onion websites are often popular hangouts for cybercriminals and scammers. Using common sense like avoiding clicking on shady links or download buttons, sticking to known sites and adding a VPN for an extra layer of protection, you should be fine. While people and organizations do host legitimate and useful sites on the dark web, it’s still best to tread cautiously. Despite Tor’s privacy-focused design, malicious entities are more likely to target your data in transit and on .onion sites.
FBI: Exploit That Revealed Tor-enabled Child Porn Users Wasn’t Malware

This makes Riseup a vital tool for people in oppressive environments or anyone concerned with online privacy. However, Ahmia doesn’t have a large developer supporting it, so it’s been the target of scams or cyberattacks in the past. Not to be confused with the riskier Hidden Wiki page, Wikipedia on Tor serves as a vast repository of information.

News And Journalism
In due course, the framework was remodeled and made public as a secure browser. These sites aren’t just important resources; they’re like lifelines used to serve readers living under oppressive regimes. No one is hiding here—they’re just guaranteeing that people in censored countries can read the news without being flagged. There are often copious amounts of how-to articles, software exploits, and hacked credentials for sale. Not every visitor is a criminal, but this is where most cybercrimes begin. Some markets are relatively short-lived (thanks to law enforcement), but others are notorious enough that they survive, for instance, Silk Road, AlphaBay, and Hansa.
- All of this underscores Riseup’s prioritization of users’ rights over business interests.
- Always exercise extreme caution and verify the legality of any services you access.
- Users gained access to videos using tokens bought using cryptocurrency or earned through tasks, such as categorising videos or uploading abusive material.
- This provides convenience, as it allows you to access onion websites using your regular browser.
Torlinks — A Backup Directory Of Onion Sites
The forum is available both on the surface web and via TOR, enhancing accessibility for vetted users. Dark web forums play a pivotal role in the cybercrime ecosystem, enabling the exchange of stolen data, hacking tools, and illicit services. Below is a curated list of the most active and dangerous dark web forums, each with its own specialties and threat landscape. When you purchase things online using cryptocurrency, third-parties can still link your transactions to your identity.
It is a component of Whonix, an operating system that functions as a whole inside a virtual computer. It includes all the essential productivity software, including MS Word and an email client. However, there are some significant variances in the background despite the similarities. For example, Whonix’s virtual workstation machine connects to the internal virtual LAN. It can only interact with the gateway, the most effective method by which the browser protects user applications from learning a device’s IP address.
Understanding Risks And Staying Safe On The Dark Web
It is essentially a list of all the notable websites available on the Tor Network that is kept in a single, organized place. The Excavator search engine digs through the depths of the dark web, offering an expansive view of indexed content. Renowned for its precision, it offers highly accurate and relevant results, making it a trustworthy resource for dark web users. Haystak is a dark web browser that offers better filtering features that help users refine their search results, enabling them to locate exactly what they need. With its minimalist design, WormWeb aims to streamline the dark web experience, making it more accessible for users seeking a straightforward browsing experience.
FAQ: Onion- Und Darknet-Seiten

While technically not an onion site, we’re including Sci-Hub (sci-hub.se) as an interesting example of a site you can access via Tor. Sci-Hub gives access to millions of scientific papers, mostly ones from behind paywalls. However, due to copyright infringement, Sci-Hub is considered illegal and banned in many countries. Unlike Ahmia and Haystak, however, DuckDuckGo doesn’t search .onion sites.
Brauche Ich Ein VPN, Wenn Ich Tor Verwende?
Avoid entering any real personal details or using existing accounts on dark web sites. Create new anonymous accounts when necessary, using temporary email services. I also recommend covering your webcam and disabling location services before accessing .onion sites.

Not to mention that anonymity safeguards won’t protect you from other threats like hacking and malware. The Dark Web is a dangerous place – You should exercise extra caution when exploring. Our search engine at GOTDW is here to help you explore more safely, but we still urge extra caution as you dive in. All content on this site is strictly for educational purposes; we neither endorse nor encourage illegal activities of any kind. Ultimately, your safety on these sites is your responsibility, so please keep your wits about you as you navigate. Torch is one of those dark web search engines that have lasted for long enough (since 1996).
The software requires two-factor authentication to receive what’s been uploaded by the whistleblower and allows two-way communication between the anonymous contact and the media outlet. Borderless news reporting and uncensored media are among the most important and practical uses for the dark web. Bypassing firewalls and other forms of geo-blocking helps people to access news websites and social media they normally wouldn’t be able to — and do so with less fear of recrimination.
- Try LifeLock free for 30 days to receive notifications if we find your personal information on the dark web and help protect against identity theft.
- Wasabi Wallet is a Bitcoin wallet that not only hides all your data in the Tor network but also allows you to “join” your transactions with others to increase your anonymity.
- However, since the dark web is also used for criminal activities, it is not advisable to visit and surf this part of the internet.
- While Onion sites offer encrypted access to the Dark Web, your data might still be at risk.
- Yes, governments can still monitor onion sites if they really want to.
- It will display a message, Onion available, if onions are available for the website.
Reddit’s .onion link provides secure and anonymous access to the popular discussion and content-sharing platform through the Tor network. With over 50 million daily active users, Reddit hosts communities (subreddits) on a wide range of topics, making it one of the most visited social platforms. The .onion version helps users in restrictive regions or those looking for more privacy.

This process also prevents your ISP from seeing your data or where it’s going. Since the ISP can’t detect you’re accessing dark web URLs, it won’t trigger any alarms about your online activity. The internet’s favorite alternative to Google made a name for itself by not logging your search activity yet still providing decent results. This focus on privacy makes it the Tor Browser’s default search engine and one of the best onion search engines. Onion sites (aka Tor sites) are websites only accessible on the dark web; you can’t view them using a regular browser. Their URLs (aka dark web links) have .onion as the domain, instead of the common surface web domains like .com or .net.