You’ve probably heard the terms dark web and Tor bandied about in the media, but logging into them isn’t as dangerous as it sounds. It’s actually quite simple to get started.
The dark web is a set of websites that are not indexed by search engine like Google. The dark web is that part of the internet where data and content are normally kept private. Email inboxes and Google Drive folders are stored on the deep web. They’re not visible to the general public when using a standard browser.
On the dark web, there are several sites that have legitimate goals. SecureDrop for instance, is a dark-web site that allows anonymous submission of sensitive data by whistleblowers. There are also websites that assist people in buying and sell stolen credentials such as credit card numbers, passwords and social security numbers. These websites are often referred to as “marketplaces,” and the most well-known examples are Silk Road and AlphaBay, but there are lots of others that have gone out of business.
Tor is the key to the dark web. It carries your internet connection through a variety of volunteer servers scattered across the world. This makes it impossible for anyone else to monitor your activity. The name “Tor” is derived from its fact that the data it encrypts is multi-layered, like the layers of a pizza. This protects the privacy of users.
