Dark Web, Darknet: how to access it and find what you are looking for?
The dark web is a part of the Internet that is not indexed by search engines. It is in a way hidden without being inaccessible. Several networks coexist in this world: Freenet, I2P or Tor to name only the most famous. These are the “darknets”. The first requiring a large personal investment and the second being exclusive to hidden sites, we are going to talk about the most accessible and versatile of darknets: Tor.
Contents
Tor makes it possible to surf anonymously on the “normal” Web, but also to have access to what are called “hidden services” (Tor Sites). These sites, whose addresses end in “.onion”, are accessible only through Tor and generate a lot of ink. Accused, with reason of making available a bunch of illegal things, the Barbie / Ken of BFMTV and Jean-Pierre Pernault forget that it is also a protocol which makes it possible to protect free-thinkers, dissidents and journalists. But hey, we haven’t seen a journalist on the TF1 premises since 1983 so …
A system to avoid censorship and protect privacy
Tor is a decentralized computer network that uses an onion architecture (hence the logo). The system is made up of routers organized in layers. Even if it is theoretically possible to find a user (we are never 100% anonymous), it is very difficult to do so, because each router has little information on its successor and its predecessor (only the node “Output” is known).
Also read: How and why to combine NordVPN and Tor?
Today, Tor’s enemies are focusing their strength on these exit nodes trying to identify them, but the developers have more than one trick up their sleeve. For ISPs who prohibit or scrutinize the use of Tor, it is possible to go through a “bridge”, a gateway that will pass the Tor flow for another protocol. To complicate matters, the data in transit is encrypted. Tor therefore makes it possible to anonymize data exchanges on the Internet. A Chinese dissident will therefore be able to visit a site, post on a blog or a forum without betraying his geographical location or his identity. But that’s not what interests us here …
To go to a hidden site, you just have to install the Tor browser. While the protocol and the browser were once separate, the people in charge of the project decided to simplify the system to gain popularity and efficiency. It must be said that a simple extension in the user’s “normal” browser could betray anonymity.
Based on Firefox, the current “Tor Browser” is therefore simpler and more secure than ever. To access a .onion site, all you have to do is enter the address in the search bar, but this will only work with Tor Browser. The problem is that it is difficult to find links for the neophyte. Luckily, we’re Tor’s black belts and we’ll give you the keys to get started …
Attention, no-go zone
Be careful, in the directories you will find really “borderline” things: arms trafficking, drug trafficking, anti-Semitic sites, conspiratorial sites… and worse. You have to understand one thing: Tor is the world of freedom. It doesn’t make sense to be for or against such and such a thing. It exists. Point. An example: even though it was republished in bookstores this year, the darkweb was the only place where you could get a book like Mein Kampf. We can deplore it, but we can also be interested in the book from a historical point of view. Budding Nazillions don’t have the intellectual skills to read any book anyway. There are also books on how to succeed in suicide, to avoid being prosecuted for murder in the event of euthanasia, etc. If this offends you, you don’t have to go in, you’ve been warned.
Darkweb: owner’s tour with Tor
1 / For Windows / Mac Os
Install the software and establish the connection by clicking on the button. That’s all ! You will then be able to surf the Internet unhindered, anonymously (as much as possible). The official search engine is DuckDuckGo… Of course, there are also Linux and Mac versions.
2 / With an Android mobile
On Android mobile, you had to download the Orbot / Orfox duo beforehand, but that is once again a thing of the past. Tor Browser is downloadable from the Google Play Store and you won’t need anything more. To improve your anonymity, you can also set up a bridge (if you are connecting from Russia or China), but we’ll see that in a future article. From France we do not (yet) need it.
3 / Welcome to the darknet
Surfing anonymously on the Internet is still not bad, but the goal here is to find things that you cannot find elsewhere … Not easy to start, because Google does not work there. If you are looking for .onion sites, you will need to use specific search engines or “directories”. Yes, this type of antediluvian sites disappeared in the early 2000s is the best way to find relevant content and addresses.
Here is our selection of sites to get you started.
Be careful, you will have to copy and paste the links in the Tor browser.
Search Engines:
- Ahmia : http://juhanurmihxlp77nkq76byazcldy2hlmovfu2epvl5ankdibsot4csyd.onion
- Torch : http://xmh57jrknzkhv6y3ls3ubitzfqnkrwxhopf5aygthi7d6rplyvk3noyd.onion
- DuckDuck Go (“hidden” version) : https://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion/
Directories:
- Original Hidden Wiki : http://6nhmgdpnyoljh5uzr5kwlatx2u3diou4ldeommfxjz3wkhalzgjqxzqd.onion
- Hidden Wiki : http://zqktlwiuavvvqqt4ybvgvi7tyo4hjl5xgfuvpdf6otjiycgwqbym2qad.onion
- TorLinks : http://torlinksge6enmcyyuxjpjkoouw4oorgdgeo7ftnq3zodj7g2zxi3kyd.onion
Various sites:
- Wikileaks (site for whistleblowers): http://rpzgejae7cxxst5vysqsijblti4duzn3kjsmn43ddi2l3jblhk4a44id.onion/wlupload.en.html
- ProPublica (news): http://p53lf57qovyuvwsc6xnrppyply3vtqm7l6pcobkmyqsiofyeznfu5uqd.onion
- Imperial Librairy (book download site): http://kx5thpx2olielkihfyo4jgjqfb7zx7wxr3sd4xzt26ochei4m6f7tayd.onion
- Protonmail (encrypted webmail): https://protonmailrmez3lotccipshtkleegetolb73fuirgj7r4o4vfu7ozyd.onion/login
- The Pirate Bay (content download) : http://piratebayztemzmv.onion
Note that some of these sites also have an existence on the “real” Web: they just want to talk about anything in case they get banned.
4 / Beware of scams!
Don’t trust sites that promise you wonders on the dark web. Already, if you have to buy something there, chances are it’s illegal. Then don’t buy anything without guarantee. On the dark web it is easy to find “escrow” services: a trusted intermediary who will take your money and pay the seller when you have given your consent. Another thing: despite everything we can say about Bitcoin, this currency is not anonymous unless it goes through a cryptocurrency “mixer”. It is about a process allowing to cover the tracks, but which is not infallible.
