Redditors share surprising facts about the dark web, covering its nature, safety, illegality, marketplaces, and privacy risks.

Nature of the Dark Web

• Misconceptions and Reality: The dark web is often overhyped by urban legends. While it does host some very illegal activities, it's not as uniformly terrifying as portrayed. "The dark net has been very over exaggerated by urban legends and things like that over the years."

• Deep Web vs. Dark Web: The deep web includes any part of the internet not indexed by search engines, often requiring logins. The dark web is a smaller, hidden part of the deep web that requires special software like Tor to access. "Darknets are parts of the internet that require special programs to enter, like TOR or Freenet."

Safety and Risks

• Browsing is Generally Safe: Just browsing the dark web using Tor Browser is generally safe, especially if you disable JavaScript. "Extremely overhyped. Your laptop is fine. Just turn off Javascript and don't do anything dumb like buy drugs with crypto from your Coinbase account."

• Potential Risks: Risks increase if you engage in activities like downloading files, making purchases, or entering personal information. "Different behaviors carry different risks. Just browsing without running other people's code (Javascript or worse) is pretty safe."

Illegality

• Browsing is Not Illegal: In most democratic countries, browsing the dark web is not illegal. "Unless you live in an authoritarian hellhole, there’s nothing illegal to it."

• Illegal Activities: Engaging in illegal activities like buying drugs or accessing child pornography is, of course, illegal. "Browsing? Not illegal. Acting? Illegal."

Marketplaces and Content

• Common Marketplaces: The dark web hosts various marketplaces selling drugs, fake IDs, and other illegal goods. "From what I've seen it's mostly websites that sell stuff like drugs and stuff like fake IDs."

• Shocking Content: Some users have encountered horrifying content, including snuff films and child pornography. "The videos I found were horrifying."

Privacy and Data Leaks

• Personal Information Leaks: Personal information, including email addresses and credit card details, can be leaked onto the dark web. "Google sent me a notification that my info got leaked."

• Credit Card Fraud: Stolen credit card numbers are a significant risk. "1 Million Stolen Credit Cards Given Away Free On Dark Web."

Navigation and Access

• Difficult Navigation: The dark web is not easy to navigate. You often need to know specific links to access sites. "It’s not the same as surfing the normal web. You have to find links from people then keep them safe."

• Search Engines: There are some search engines like Ahmia and Torch that can help you find links. "Use some search engines like Ahmia or torch or whatever."

Additional Tips

• Use a VPN: Using a VPN in conjunction with Tor can add an extra layer of anonymity. "Install virtualbox, install a linux distro like linux mint or PopOS, install the Tor Browser and you can use Tor within you're windows or linux host but sanboxed/isolated from your host."

• Be Cautious: Avoid clicking on suspicious links and be aware of potential scams. "I’d use lynx (text only terminal based browser) configured to proxy over Tor."

Communities for Further Questions

• r/TOR

• r/deepweb

• r/privacy

These communities can provide additional insights and answer specific questions you might have about the dark web.