What is the Dark Net and TOR?
The darknet is a term that refers to areas of the Internet that use encryption technology to guarantee users anonymity. The darknet is only accessible through the use of specialized technology and specific browsers such as TOR (see below).
The Internet that the vast majority of users operate on is called the surface web; the darknet is part of the "other" Internet, which is also known as the "Deep Web."
Hidden from search
The content on the deep web is not accessible through the use of search engines, such as Google, Yahoo or Bing, which cannot find these hidden areas of the Internet. The deep web is believed to be hundreds of times larger than the surface web, but most of that space contains vast university databases, members-only educational resource websites, and websites that run odd file formats. However, an estimated 3-5% of the deep web is devoted to various darknet networks.
History of the darknet
The United States Military created the dark net based on research done by the Naval Research Lab in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Researchers devised a way that Internet users could browse the web completely anonymously by using networks that encrypt connection requests and disguise the IP address of the user. They created the Tor browser (originally an acronym for "the onion network" because dark net pages use .onion domains rather than .com or .org) to enable users worldwide to surf the web anonymously.
With the release of the TOR browser to the general public in 2003, the darknet became a haven for all types of internet users that value their privacy, which includes any user seeking anonymity as well as illegal and unethical users.
Drug dealers, free speech advocates, third world revolutionaries, hackers-for-hire and weapons dealers all made immediate use of the darknet for the same reason: to hide their activities from law enforcement officials or hostile government snoops.
Example of anonymous use of the darknet
It has been well-documented that many bloggers and organizers who took part in the Arab Spring uprisings used the darknet to disseminate anti-government information and organize protests.
Traditional news sources like The New Yorker also operate tip lines and safe access points on the darknet so whistleblowers can be assured of privacy and anonymity. At the same time, massive drug rings such as the recently-busted Silk Road operate on darknet networks to ensure anonymity for themselves and their customers.
TOR
TOR stands for "The Onion Router." It is a privacy service that helps you maintain privacy and hide your identity on the Internet.
When visiting a website, it's possible for anyone with enough computer experience to find out some general information about where you live and your browsing habits
This is because your computer sends some identifying information about your location every time you go online. For example, if you live in New York City, every time you go online your connection will go through an Internet computer in or near the city. Any website you visit will be able to detect the fact that your connection came from New York. That's just one example of the kind of information that your computer sends out.
How does TOR help privacy?
What TOR does is create privacy for you by bouncing your connection all over the world before it arrives at the site you want. For example, if you want to go to Facebook, and you are from New York City, then if you turn on TOR, your connection might go through Madrid, Spain, San Francisco, Houston, and five or six other places before reaching Facebook. That way, anyone listening in on your connection to Facebook won't know where you are from or be able to learn that much about you.
TOR is perfect for people who want some privacy because, in theory, not even governments can tell who is who if they are using TOR.
Anyone with a computer connected to the Internet can sign up to make their computer a "node", which is one of the locations where TOR will bounce your connection. TOR helps maintain privacy since each node has no idea which nodes you have been to before, so there is no record of where you originally got online. Thus, your original computer and your location is hidden.
Downsides of TOR There are some downsides about TOR. TOR can slow down how fast websites display on your computer. Think about it: your connection is now bouncing all over the world instead of going directly to the site you want to visit.
There are reports that some governments, including the US, have started hosting their nodes. With sophisticated technology, it's possible that governments could gather information about the users who send information through their nodes, If you are dedicated to anonymity online, then TOR will be one of your best allies.
Privacy is precious
The darknet is utilized by many different people and organizations to protect their online privacy. Typical Internet users who value their privacy can certainly make use of Tor and the darknet without encountering criminal activity.
Most internet users browsing with Tor value their privacy and are using TOR and the darknet to make sure that their online activity is not being tracked.
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