The dark side of the internet, or dark web, that mysterious digital place where, among other things, weapons, drugs, kidneys, databases, stolen goods, covid certificates, and much more that is unimaginable to obtain legally are bought, sold, and exchanged, is actually not so mysterious. For those who have not yet broken through to it (like Lider’s journalist Jozo Knez, who reported from there three years ago), Lifehacker has prepared brief instructions on what to do.
All that is needed, they write, is to install the browser The Onion Router, known as TOR, on your device. A simple Google search can find a place to download it. Like Chrome or Firefox, TOR can browse regular websites, but it is the only browser that can connect to dark web domains. Such websites end with .onion instead of .com or .org.
TOR is designed with layers of privacy that make users more anonymous, but privacy does not necessarily mean security. The browser, they warn, will not prevent dangerous files and malicious viruses from infecting your device if you click on the wrong link. With TOR installed, all you need to do is launch the browser and then go to a dark web domain. Since they are not indexed on search engines like Google or Bing, you will need to dig through subreddits like r/Tor or r/onions. On these sources, they write in Lifehacker, important tips can be found to help you stay safe while navigating the dark waters.
