The dark web is not new in 2022, its existence has its own meaning, and the dark web is not scary, not a place to be seen. Whether it brings progress or regression to human society, history will make a proper judgment. So, do you want to enter the dark web? This site does not judge the legality of the dark web, as there are many perfectly valid reasons why you might want to access the content of the dark web as a reminder of how people should be protected. First, before reading on, a word of warning.
Before proceeding, it is important to understand that much of the content on the Dark Web is illegal. No matter what precautions you take, it is impossible to remain completely anonymous. Wherever you are in the world, please obey the laws of that country, and if you wish to commit a crime, do so at your own risk!
If you want to know how to access the dark web in a safe and anonymous way, you can refer to this article. Here are 7 key steps you need to take when you want to access the dark web.
1.Always use a VPN to access the dark web
We are not going to go into detail about what the dark web is or how it works. It could be argued that simply because of the way the dark web uses onion routing technology, too many users think they are safe from ISP surveillance.
But that's not true. Even if you use the Tor browser, anyone with enough time and expertise can still track your traffic.
Historically, the Tor browser fell victim to an IP leak in April 2018. The vulnerability, nicknamed "TorMoil," allows a user's operating system to connect to a remote host, bypassing the Tor Browser entirely. macOS and Linux users are most at risk.
Therefore, when connecting to the dark web, you should use a VPN, which will encrypt your network traffic and ensure that even if there is a problem like the one that occurred a few years ago, it will not be detected by monitors.
2.Download Tor Browser from the official website
Tor may have had security issues in the past, but it is still the safest and most popular way to access the dark web.
Due to its market-leading position and the nature of the content you can access while using it, it is not surprising that there are many counterfeit versions available online. These people try to trick the application and get you to download a counterfeit version.
Therefore, do not download Tor Browser from any source other than the official website, which you can find at torproject.org, where it is free to download and use. Download at: https://www.torproject.org/download/
Also, to be on the safe side, you need to make sure that your Tor Browser is always up to date. Because the Tor Project officially guarantees the security of the Tor Browser, even if there are vulnerabilities, they will be patched and fixed in a timely manner.
3.Take security precautions
The dark web is a gathering place for hackers, cybercriminals, malware creators and other unsuspecting people, and you probably don't really want to be on your computer or be a target of their attacks.
Sadly, the nature of the dark web means that you will probably encounter them at some point. Ideally, you need to make yourself as small a target as possible by reducing the number of attack vectors they can use.
Therefore, before you open the Tor browser, you should close all other applications on your machine, stop running unnecessary services, and cover your webcam with a piece of paper.
4.Install TAILS
The Amnesiac Incognito Live System (TAILS) is an open source operating system focused on privacy protection, which was recommended by Snowden, the US Prism Project exposer. The operating system is a unique Debian-based version of Linux that leaves no trace of user activity or the operating system itself on your computer. The operating system is free to use and can be booted live from a USB stick or DVD.
TAILS cannot save cookies or files to your hard drive without a direct request. You also don't run the risk of your browser dumping "page output" data to disk (most browsers do this for speed and efficiency.)
In addition, TAILS comes with the Tor Browser pre-installed; once it's up and running, you don't have to worry about extra steps.
All network traffic on TAILS machines is automatically routed through Tor. If the operating system detects any non-anonymous connections, it will automatically block them.
In addition, TAILS has built-in productivity tools such as a word processor and email client, which means you can do more than just browse the web while it's running. You can download TAILS from tails.boum.org.
5.Know where you are going
When you visit the dark web, you will not have the luxury of Google search engine results for you to browse at will. As a result, it can be difficult to find what you're looking for; you can easily stumble into a place you really don't want to go.
Therefore, we recommend that you use the navigation sites to decide which pages you want to visit and bookmark them after opening the Tor browser.
The dark web itself has many navigation sites, and there are also dark web sites shared on the internet's github site. For both novice and experienced users, one of the best dark web navigation sites available is "666 dark web site navigation". You can access it by pasting the following link into Tor Browser.
http://666666666tjjjeweu5iikuj7hkpke5phvdylcless7g4dn6vma2xxcad.onion
You can also check out our previous list of dark web sites - we listed some of the best dark web V3 domains.
6.Use cryptocurrencies for all transactions
There are also a variety of dark web taobao on the dark web where you can buy items. If you want to buy something from one of the many dark web marketplaces, under no circumstances should you use a payment method other than cryptocurrency. In fact, you will find that most sellers will not accept regular credit card payments.
Of course, the biggest temptation is to use Bitcoin - it is the most common cryptocurrency in the world and many people believe it is completely anonymous. In practice, this is not true. Issues such as address reuse, connecting nodes, tracking cookies and blockchain analytics mean that someone is likely to link your personal data to a transaction.
You can use "bitcoin blenders" to anonymize your tokens, but they are expensive and require you to put your trust in an untraceable third party.
Instead, you should use privacy-centric cryptocurrencies. The two most common are Monroe and Zcash.
7.Turn everything off
When you're done browsing the dark web, don't be lazy. Make sure to close all browser windows and other content that may be connected.
If you have used TAILS, exit the operating system and restart back to the regular interface. If you have used Windows or macOS, it is best to restart your computer.
Staying Safe on the Dark Web
If you follow the seven steps we've provided carefully, you'll have safe, secure and anonymous access to the dark web. There are risks, of course, but as long as you stay alert, you should not encounter problems.