But some dark web users simply prefer the anonymity afforded by an encrypted network.This article is intended to provide general, educational information and is not legal advice. Sure, the dark web gets a bad rap for its association with criminal enterprises, like the Silk Road, a much maligned drug marketplace that operated for two years before the Feds shut it down in 2013.

government remains a major funder of the non-profit organization that now maintains it. military in order to help route intelligence communications-and the U.S.

Indeed, Tor was originally developed by the U.S. It helps political dissidents and whistleblowers escape surveillance and disseminate their views, for instance. While there’s no doubt plenty of shady stuff happening on the dark web, the network has a positive side. Be careful where you click though, as some sites may contain questionable-possibly even illegal-content. You can visit the Tor part of the dark web simply by downloading special browser software from the Tor Project’s website, and connecting to a URL that bears the top-level domain “’dot’ onion.” For instance, the Hidden Wiki, which is only accessible via the Tor browser, has a list of dark web sites.

(Freenet and I2P are two other networks that support the dark web, but we’ll stick to Tor here.) Usually, when people refer to the dark web, they’re referring to content hosted on the Tor network, a system of relays that obscures IP addresses, or the locations of devices on a network. The dark web consists of encrypted networks that have been intentionally hidden from view, and they require special software to access them.

Tor websites list 2017