SecureDrop is a site that protects the privacy of journalists and whistleblowers. This means you can visit the site anonymously using the Onion browser, especially if you live under an oppressive regime. ProPublica is a popular online publication that won five Pulitzers in 2016.
Hosting & Development: Daniel’s Hosting, OnionShare, Tor Project Onion
It’s also hosted through resilient infrastructure to fight against DDoS attacks and frequent takedown attempts, helping it remain a reliable platform for uncensored discussion. Your IP is still being revealed to one of the nodes in the onion, meaning your activity and identity can be unmasked. Since academic research is often fenced off behind paywalls, Sci-Hub aims to democratize knowledge by allowing people to see publicly-funded research for free. Facebook joined the dark web way back in 2014, and it remains a viable way to access the website in China and other countries that block it.
After all, journalists, human rights organizations, and various other institutions maintain a Dark Web mirror of their primary indexed website. We’ve compiled an up-to-date list of the best onion sites so you can get a taste of what’s out there. If one tries to visit the dark web with a regular browser, there will be no web pages to visit. Since the dark web is hidden from the surface web, these dark web search engines allow users to explore the concealed part of the Internet. Deep web browsers are programs or applications that allow access to non-indexed websites. Each browser interprets information from different types of files and onion sites on the deep web.
- Because no registration is required it’s completely anonymous and can be used by people to get solutions to their queries without having to reveal their identities.
- Keep reading this guide to learn more about what these terms actually mean, and how you can find your way into the underbelly of the internet.
- Avoid downloading files or opening attachments from unknown sources, as these can contain malware.
- After accessing the links with the .onion extension by searching, try to reach reliable or known sources by paying attention to the security and privacy rules of the pages.
- The dark web contains numerous security risks, from malware to scams and illegal content.
- One of the primary reasons users prefer the Hidden Wiki and similar dark web directories over Google is privacy.
How To Access The Dark Web Links On The Hidden Wiki
A VPN provides strong security for everyday browsing without the extra delays, middle checkpoint, and then finally the exit gate. The extra connection layers can act as a significant burden to your browsing experience if you’re doing something that is bandwidth intensive. As we mentioned above, when you connect to Tor your data first goes through an entry node, which can see your IP address. By connecting to a VPN before using Tor, you mask your real IP address before it reaches this entry node, adding an extra layer of security and anonymity.
- It doesn’t track you across the web, doesn’t store logs and obviously doesn’t sell any data.
- One of the major misconceptions about the Deep web is that it’s illegal, well it’s not.
- It also includes a dark web monitoring feature that crawls the dark web and alerts you if your details show up anywhere.
- Doesn’t keep any logs whatsoever after a retention period of 10 days.
DuckDuckGo’s dark web version offers the same privacy-focused search experience as its clear web counterpart. What sets it apart is that it doesn’t track your searches or create user profiles, making it ideal for anonymous browsing. Its clean interface and lack of ads make it much easier to use than other dark web search engines. To make its journalism more accessible to readers around the world, the New York Times launched its onion service in 2017. You won’t find any “hidden” stories here—it’s the same content as the normal web edition—but users in countries with government censorship will appreciate having a secure way to access it. However, there’s a chance you may run into illegal activity on all but the best onion sites.
How Do I Open Onion Links?
Some users also share links on encrypted apps like Telegram or Keybase that you can check. The deep web includes all websites and pages that are not indexed by search engines and are not publicly accessible. Tor Network, short for “The Onion Router”, is a network consisting of volunteer servers that encrypt Internet traffic and route it through multiple nodes. This technology makes it very difficult to track the identity or location of users.
Why Our Site Is Better: Up-to-Date, Secure, And No Tracking
Don’t click on suspicious links, be skeptical of what you read, and avoid dark web marketplaces if you don’t want to stumble on illegal activity or content. Both DuckDuckGo and Ahmia are safe choices for finding Tor Browser links without being tracked. Any onion websites you visit from these search engines is another story. Apart from the best onion sites listed here, you must be careful with the Tor pages you visit. Search engines and corporate websites might be OK, but even a popular Tor website like Hidden Wiki can show illegal deep web links that jeopardize your online safety.
At Startpage.com, they take into account the privacy dangers of recording people’s search behavior, and given their team’s strong convictions about privacy, they decided to act accordingly.
StartPage – User-Friendly Dark Web Search Engine Like Google
However, data is required for understanding, monitoring, and improving the network. Furthermore, data will help to detect attacks against the network and possible censorship events. The BBC news website has a special .onion site, which you need to access via the dark web. Its goal is to offer anonymous access to the content without being censored, no matter where you live. The good news is that the BBC Onion site is an international edition.
Can Google Take You To The Dark Web?
Not Evil is a reflection of what the community is looking for and what the community reports as abusive or inappropriate content. Protect your business with end-to-end encryption and compliance-ready security. So basically once you have the URLs you wish to access, and the Tor browser, you can access the dark or deep web just like any other normal website. So hey, we’ve beaten around the bush quite a bit, let’s finally get you what you came here for, here’s how to access the deep web. Another step or precaution you need is never use your real name, e-mail ID or any other real-life details which can be linked back to you. Red rooms are rooms where real human beings and animals are tortured, raped and even murdered, and all of this is streamed live for the audience, at a price.
A Quick Guide On How To Use A VPN With Tor
That said, it is one of the most famous and popular Dark Web sites, and it does have legitimate uses. For instance, in the UK, any book older than 70 years old (past the date of the author’s death) is no longer subject to copyright restrictions. This means you can safely download older manuscripts and other public domain works.
What Is The Hidden Wiki Used For?
You can’t access these .onion sites from your normal web browser like the one you’re probably viewing this page on. Before clicking any of the dark web links below, you’ll need to get the Tor Browser (also called the Onion Browser) or another service that provides dark web access, such as the Brave browser. Onion sites are considered part of the deep web because search engines like Google and Bing can’t index them. Clicking on random onion links is quite risky and isn’t recommended.
It has a vast library of over 1.5 billion indexed pages that lets you find whatever you are looking for. However, the threat of clicking on the wrong link always remains, so be cautious while you use it. Just like Facebook, this is no random namesake; it is a legitimate platform from which to reach the CIA anonymously. You can even apply for jobs and request information, among other things.
It also provides insights, helpful statistics, and updates regarding the Tor network. Few countries operate with strict censorship on citizens’ internet access, preventing them from getting information in or out. BBC is the most popular news source and is the best example of restrictions on International media. Knowing this, we tested many dark websites, and only the safest and most reliable ones made it to our list of 29 best dark web sites you should know in 2025.
Many users seek anonymity for various reasons, including accessing censored information and protecting sensitive communications. Dark web marketplaces are hubs where vendors sell everything from digital tools to physical goods. While some of these markets operate legally within certain jurisdictions, many are known for illegal activity. For this reason, they are often short-lived and heavily targeted by law enforcement. Users should be extremely cautious when exploring this category, as fake markets and scams are widespread.
