You’ve probably heard of the terms Tor and dark web in the media. However, using these websites isn’t as risky as they sound. In fact, it’s easy to get it up and running.
The dark web is made up of pages that aren’t found by search engines like Google. It’s a part of the internet where information and content that would otherwise be private is stored. Email inboxes and Google Drive folders are stored on the deep web. They’re not visible to the general public using a standard web browser.
There are also many websites on the dark web which serve legitimate goals. SecureDrop for instance, is a dark-web site that allows anonymous submission of sensitive data by whistleblowers. There are also sites where users can purchase and sell stolen credentials, such as passwords and credit card numbers. These sites are often referred to “marketplaces” and the most well-known examples are Silk Road and AlphaBay, but there are lots of others that have come and gone.
Tor is the key to the dark web. It connects you via a number of volunteer servers scattered across the globe. This makes it difficult for anyone to trace your movements. The name Tor comes from the fact that the traffic it encrypts is layer by layer, like the layers of a pizza. This protects the privacy of users.