Darknet Browser Archives - The Dark Web Journal

Best Anonymous Dark Web Browsers in 2020

5 years ago in Dark Web by Feranmi Akeredolu

Most people who access the internet spend their time online on the surface web – the part of the worldwide web that is reached with popular browsers and search engines. Similar to the surface web, to access the dark web, you need a browser. However, the dark web is the portion of the internet where anonymity, privacy, and security is a big deal. To navigate the dark web, you need a dark web browser that is secure, anonymous and keeps your online activities private.

We have compiled a list of the best anonymous browsers that place emphasis on privacy, security, and user-friendliness, namely:

Tor Browser
Brave
Orfox
JohnDoFox

1. The Tor Browser

The most popular privacy network on the dark web is called TOR – The Onion Router. It was developed originally for government use before it was made accessible to the public. One of the primary utility of the TOR network is that it allows users to access .onion websites, created for maximum privacy.

The main browser developed to access “.onion” site extensions is the Tor browser. It is the most popular and one of the best anonymous browsers for users who wish for anonymity on the internet.

How Does the Tor Browser Work?

The Tor browser enables connection requests to be re-routed several times on the network before reaching their destination.

For example, if a user in the United States is trying to connect to a website in South Africa, the browser would route the request through several nodes from the U.S. to London to Sydney to Brazil and, finally, to the destination, South Africa. That way, your internet privacy is kept intact.

How to Use the Tor Browser

You can download the latest version of this dark web browser on the Tor project page. The browser is available for most operating systems including Windows, Apple OS X, Linux, Android, and iOS.

The user interface is familiar, which means you do not need a manual if it is your first time. The design is similar to Firefox, with only a few changes.

The known downside to using the Tor Browser is speed. Ensure you have a good internet connection to make surfing the deep web smooth.

2. Brave

This relatively new anonymous browser added Tor routing in 2018 as a tab option for users. Brave lets you have access to the surface web and websites that are running Tor, allowing you to do all of your browsings on one platform.

Moreover, Brave enables in-browser monetization of the “attention economy” through its native digital token, BAT, which is why this browser has become very popular in the cryptocurrency community.

How to use Brave Browser

Step 1: Download the Brave browser on their website.

Step 2: After installation, open the browser.

Step 3: Navigate to the File menu, then choose “New Private Tab with Tor,” and it automatically switches to a Tor dashboard. Then, you can begin to browse the dark web.

The Brave browser Tor integration comes with the privacy-focused DuckDuckGo search engine, which means you can do a quick search for onion sites easily.

3. Orfox

Since 2005, this app has been the only recommended mobile application for the Tor network. This dark web browser for mobile was built using the same code as the desktop Tor browser with only a few changes. The key advantage of this application is that it provides the ability to access the darknet anonymously everywhere you are.

The Tor project has said it would phase out this app and replace it with Tor Browser for Android, which is still only in the alpha stage at the time of writing.

How to use Orfox

Step 1: Your phone has to be on the Android operating system. Go to the Google Play Store and download Orfox.

Step 2: You have to download the Orbot application from the Play store also to use Orfox. Orbot uses Tor to encrypt your internet browsing and bouncing your requests around the series of nodes on the Tor network.

Step 3: Open these applications, and start using Orfox to browse the darknet.

4. JonDoFox

This little-known darknet browser developed by the JonDonym group is optimized for anonymous browsing and was built based on the Tor Browser. It features lots of useful add-ons, like No-Script, AdBlock Plus, and CS Lite.

The browser is available for download on the following operating systems: Windows (64 bit), MacOS X (64 bit) and Linux.

How To Use JonDoFox

To access the dark web with this anonymous browser, you need to:

Step 1: Download JonDoFox and the Tor network.

Step 2: Install both programs.

Step 3: After installation, start the Tor software. Next, start up the JonDoFox browser.

Step 4: With the JonDoFox, you can decide to browse using a custom proxy, the default JonDo proxy or Tor (if you installed the Tor network already). Use the button in the upper left corner of the browser to switch between these different proxy options.

Generally, most people accessing the dark web default to using the Tor Browser. It incorporates everything you need to browse the web anonymously on the Tor network. Using other browsers is considered riskier and often not recommended by industry experts.

How to Access Onion Websites Using a Darknet Browser in 2020

5 years ago in Dark Web/Features by Feranmi Akeredolu

A significant portion of the Internet is made up of the deep web. Navigating this part of the Internet requires special networks, tools, and web applications.

In this guide, you will learn how onion websites work, how to access them using a darknet browser, and some basic security measures you need to take while surfing the dark web.

Onion Websites

Onion sites offer anonymous hidden service and are only accessible with darknet browsers.

These websites are designed to allow communication only via specific means, making the information provider and the person accessing a piece of information hard to trace. You can not access these onion sites through Google or view them using a normal Internet browser. The Googlebot can neither crawl nor index them. However, you could find onion sites with deep web search engines and through websites that offer dark web links directory like The Hidden Wiki.

A lot of onion sites are not illegal like many think; there are regular forums, blogs, and websites with the onion extension. Also, activists in oppressive regimes often use the Tor network to access websites that have been blocked and exchange ideas without getting detected.

Onion addresses are generally obscure, containing 16 character alpha-semi-numeric hashes which are generated using a public key when configuring a service on the Tor network. For example, an address could look like this: http://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion/.

The necessary tools required to access an onion website are the Tor network and a browser that can connect to this network, the most popular being the Tor Browser.

Darknet Browsers

There are several few darknet browsers that you can use to surf the deep web. They include:

TOR – The Onion Router
I2P – Invisible Internet Project
Whonix
Subgraph OS
TAILS – The Amnesic Incognito Live System.

The most widely used dark web browser is the TOR Browser. It actually paved the way for other darknet web browsers.

The free TOR browser makes it difficult for your Internet browsing activities and location to be traceable by serving webpages through multiple nodes. Volunteers spread across the world manage these nodes. However, to be able to mask your identity completely, you would need a VPN service alongside the TOR browser.

How to Access Onion Websites

1. Download Tor

Downloading and installing Tor is straightforward. Head over to the Tor download page https://www.torproject.org/download/ to get the latest version of the Tor Browser. You would have a choice to select your preferred operating system.

Currently, Tor is available for:

– Windows

– Apple OS X

– Linux

– Android

– iOS

If you have advanced knowledge of computer programming, there is the option to download the Tor source code and compile it yourself.

Once you have downloaded the software, the procedure for installation follows the same process as any other average software: Double click on the file, choose a language, pick an install location, and start the installation.

2. Set Up a VPN

Internet Service Providers (ISP) can identify when a client is using Tor. So, it is advisable to connect to Tor via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to add another layer of protection and privacy.

VPNs allow you to access the web through private servers, which would help to mask your location.

3. Start Tor Browser

When you start the browser, it establishes a Tor circuit and connects you to the Tor network. One of the popular search engines on the darknet is DuckDuckGo. The search engine prioritizes the protection of user’s data.

You can access DuckDuckGo’s search engine on the TOR network through this URL: http://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion/.

Safety Measures on the Darknet

1. Always ensure that your .onion URLs are accurate.

2. Verify any URL from several sources before accessing it. If you are confident that you have the correct URL, copy and paste in an encrypted note; the Tor browser does not support caching.

3. Be careful not to click any links when you are surfing the darknet. Use only known trusted web directories to cross-check an onion website address.

4. Turn off scripts by clicking the “S!” button at the top left corner before the address bar in the Tor browser. This could prevent hackers from hijacking your PC by scripting malware.

5. It is recommended to always check for new updates to Tor and ensure you have the latest version of the software.