It was created to provide layers of encryption (hence the reference to onions and the use of. It stands for The Onion Router, developed by the U.S. The most commonly used darknet service is Tor (pronounced /tôr/). See the 10-minute training video, Introduction to Tor and its value to online research So, what is Tor? But before you jump right into this unpredictable digital environment, you need to understand the fundamentals of how Tor works, how to best access Tor and precautions to take to mitigate and limit risk. If you are investigating any of these activities, you could be leaving information on the table by not researching on the dark web.

Popularized by media, the most well-known use of the dark web is for criminal activity including marketplaces to sell drugs, stolen identities, weapons and malware, as well as forums to exchange info about illegal activities, hacking tools and more. It can also be used for privacy protection and anonymity due to its layered encryption. In countries with heavy censorship laws, the dark web is used for sharing and disseminating information. Many believe that the dark web is only used for criminal activity, however, it has legitimate uses as well. Only accessible through specialized software, dark web sites are hidden from the rest of the internet making for a secretive digital environment with lots of activity varying in legitimacy. While it can be extremely important to your online investigation, only utilizing surface-level results limits the potential of your research.Īlthough a wealth of information can lie on the surface, there is much to be found in a hidden area of the internet called the dark web. Many individuals and organizations often make the assumption that open-source intelligence begins and ends with the surface web research.

Learn how to investigate safely and improve your research. The dark web offers crucial information hidden from the surface.

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