It will display a message, Onion available, if onions are available for the website. You can also search for onion links on DuckDuckGo’s onion page by clicking Onionize. The search engine provides several special features beyond the original word. These include weather forecasts, maps, calculations and Boolean operations as inclusion or alternatives among others. The BBC, among others, is blocked in countries like North Korea or China because of the government’s strict censorship policies. This is why the BBC news website has established a unique .onion site, enabling anonymous access, via Tor, to its content without being subject to censorship, regardless of the location.

Tor Websites: 10 Links That Offer A Safer Browsing Experience
It’s why other companies, including Facebook, The New York Times, and the BBC have also launched their own Tor mirrors over the years. This information can be used to target ads and monitor your internet usage. Also, there’s a vast amount of unsavory content on the dark web, as well as a significantly high number of hackers and scammers looming on the platform.

Tor Over VPN (Recommended)
Absolutely no one knows who’s surfing on the dark web, who is selling, who is buying or anything like that – as long as you take the correct safety and online privacy precautions. For example, the deep web is often a platform used by political activists who own a blog. But it also contains other news and religious sites, private discussion forums, and medical records. The majority of the web is called the “deep web” (often referred to as the “invisible” or “hidden” web).

Can You Access The Dark Web With A VPN?
It might be because of the poorly maintained site or Tor’s slow speed because of the way it works. Either way, some sites take up to a minute or more to load, so don’t fret. We already know of one necessary component needed for this – Tor.
Dark Web Chat/Social Networks
At first glance, Tor doesn’t look that different from your regular browser – it has a search bar, lots of quick-launch icons, the peeled onion icon smack in the middle of the screen. Well, VPN over Tor is basically its opposite – instead of going through the VPN first, the signal passes through the Tor network, before going through the VPN. Unlike regular browsers that directly connect to websites via your ISP’s DNS, Tor anonymizes your journey by routing your request through several relays before reaching its destination. A VPN hides your internet activity, making it harder for your connection requests to be traced back to you. It’s a precaution to protect yourself before diving into the dark web. For recommendations on choosing a VPN, look for expert reviews and articles.
- The dark web also helps individuals communicate about or sell illegal items such as weapons, drugs, malware, etc.
- Tor anonymity comes with a cost since malicious hackers and criminals like to operate in the shadows.
- That’s why we took the guessing work out of it for you, and made this list of the best dark web sites you should check out.
- You can upload your PGP key or have the site create one for you, and use it to cryptographically link your Twitter profile, Github account, or Bitcoin address together.
Best Onion Sites By Category
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. The dark web is part of the internet that is not indexed by standard search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. It means you cannot access websites on the dark web with regular browsers like Firefox or Chrome. Instead, you need a specific configuration, software, or authorization, such as Tor, to access it. It is the dark web’s version of Wikipedia with a massive links directory.
A Quick Guide On How To Use A VPN With Tor
- With Tor Browser, you are free to access sites your home network may have blocked.
- We already know Edward Snowden’s take on this whole issue and the need for a decentralized search engine.
- This means that there are no laws or rules governing the content that is shared on these sites.
- Some whistleblowers and journalists use these portals to safely leak information, especially when a source requires complete privacy.
Did you know that Google only shows you a glimpse of all the websites that actually exist? The last time I checked, it’s estimated that the entire web is roughly 500 times larger than what Google returns in Google Search. To use the dark web safely, use as many privacy-enhancing tools or programs as you can, and do not identify yourself in any way to anyone for any reason. In this guide, we’ll show you what you need to know about how to access the dark web and how to keep yourself safe while you use it.
Facebook Onion Site

As a bonus, the site is one of the most polished on the deep web, so you shouldn’t get a clunky experience that feels sus. ProPublica is a non-profit investigative journalism outfit based out of New York City. It’s committed to transparency and public service, which is why it maintains a dark website along with its site on the surface web. However, Ahmia doesn’t have a large developer supporting it, so it’s been the target of scams or cyberattacks in the past. Wikipedia manages one of the best Tor sites for encyclopedic knowledge.
Tor Browser prevents someone watching your connection from knowing what websites you visit. All anyone monitoring your browsing habits can see is that you’re using Tor. One of the dark web myths people often push is that hidden services—websites that take advantage of the Tor network—are largely undiscoverable. The Escrow’s .onion link provides a platform for conducting anonymous transactions on the Dark Web by holding funds securely until agreements are fulfilled.
Awazon became the successor of the popular AlphaBay market, which the authorities shut down successfully in July 2023. Like any other site of such nature, Awazon Market isn’t free from risks, so be careful while accessing it. Purchases through links on our pages may yield affiliate revenue for us. We review and list tools and products without bias, regardless of potential commissions. Cybersecurity has to also cover everything physically on your computer too—which law enforcement or government authorities might have the right to seize if they come calling. If you want to be untraceable and undetectable, connecting to the dark web via the Tor browser is a major step towards that, but not the only step you’ll need.
This means not visiting these sites or downloading any content from them. It is also important to use strong, unique passwords for all of your online accounts and to keep your computer and other devices updated with the latest security patches. An anthology from some of the bigger names in the extreme horror underground that explores the theme of the vast unknown spaces in the non-indexed internet.

In addition, even if the Tor node fails, your data won’t be exposed because the VPN’s encryption still holds up. As mentioned, we recommend using a safe provider like NordVPN, which also offers Onion Over VPN servers perfect for accessing the dark web safely. Before we explain how to venture into this part of the internet, we need to see what you’re setting yourself up for. Unlike the surface web, the dark web is a part of the internet not indexed by conventional search engines. Therefore, it’s inaccessible through conventional browsers like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, and others.
In 2020, the IWF said analysts actioned 68,000 reports which were tagged as including “self-generated” child sexual abuse content – a 77% increase on the previous year. In the UK alone, traffic increased by 61%, with 3.7 million visits in December from predominantly people under the age of 34 – many of them teenagers. According to new research collected by data analyst Semrush, Omegle grew globally from about 34 million visits a month in January 2020 to 65 million in January 2021. In the first, each episode featured aQOH card held up to the camera at one point or other. The first place he clickshas Domiziano regular, Chiara Pavoni dancing in strobe sickly red lights.
It’s huge, making up about 90% of the internet, but it’s mostly mundane, hidden behind login screens for privacy and security. If you’re having trouble opening a specific onion link, or the overall Tor speed is slow, we have detailed tips on how to make Tor faster. The website has received six Pulitzer Prizes for its grassroots-based journalism. Accessing it through an onion link is much more convenient if you’re unable to directly view it on your screen. It offers a Reddit-like interface, where you can learn everything you need to know about darknet websites and spotting the real from the scammers.