Brief Introduction of TOR Network, Browser and Onion Sites

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This article below is quite interesting in as much as it gives a number of resources that are very useful. And as business people and entrepreneurs we must always remember that information especially truthful information is very valuable.

For those who take privacy a tad serious – particularly those who love to play around on the dark web, the term “Tor browser” should come as no surprise. Tor actually stands for The Onion Router and its browser does a job quite similar to the popular ones – Google Chrome, Opera, Firefox, etc.

How Normal Browsers Work

To understand the job Tor browser does, it is essential to have an idea of how regular browsers operate. When a user types in a web address and hits enter, the computer sends a web request to the server where the website is hosted, does a bit of data transfer back and forth and then the webpage gets sent to the browser. Among the data being transferred above are the details peculiar to the visiting device. Such include – IP address, webpage history, browser type, device make, etc. All these and more are logged by the server and can be used to track the website visitor.

The Need for Tor Browser

Privacy and security concerns with respect to the aforementioned begs the need for Tor browsers. They secure connections by re-routing the network data from a user’s PC through several servers on the Tor network before finally gets to the destination server. After this, the webpage is then returned through the same route. This way, the only data that gets logged are those of the server through which the user’s data are being re-routed.

Downsides of using Tor browser

A little downside to this is that the user might:

• experience a slower browsing experience due to the several nodes through which the data will pass through before getting back to the PC.
• be required to continually fill captcha challenges to prove they aren’t a robot. Again, this is as a result of the several network routings.
• experience a modification in the language or entire content of the webpage delivered to them.

The Portal to the Deep Web

Tor is not only beneficial for the privacy it provides but it also serves as a portal to the ‘deep web’. The ‘deep web’ is often purported to be some myth or scary place on the Internet reserved for bogeymen and the likes.
In truth, the deep web amasses a lot of data which cannot be accessed by a simple google search. It can be likened to the deepest parts of the oceans – yet to be explored and discovered – accounting for like 80% of the Internet as we know it.
Tor allows users and webpages remain anonymous through its network re-routes, allowing for the existence of the most popular darknets. These darknets are only accessible through certain protocols and as anyone’s best guess might be, these websites are mostly used for shady dealings such as drug pushing, hacking of notable websites. In 2013, the FBI shut down the Silk Road – which was notable for selling drugs at the time.

Popular Websites on the Onion Network

Listed below are some of the best onion sites on the Tor network:
Search Engines on Tor Network

• Torch : has one of the largest online databases on the network.
• Candle : basic search engine, accepts just letters for searching.
• Grams : for purchasing digital and physical items and services.

Confidential Email Clients on the Network

• ProtonMail: interface is similar to regular email clients, uses encryption.
• MailPile: uses encrypted PGP, similar to Gmail onion list client.
• Confidant: popular email service, blocks spam effectively.

Top Forums on the Network

• The Hub: socializing spot for users interested in the drug market, world news and cybersecurity.
• Smuxi: completely free to use, meet new people and encrypts messages using an IRC client.
• Facebook: an absolute shocker but the famous social network has its onion version.

Marketplaces on the Network

• Empire Market: new, with a lot of products and services including drugs, jewelry, hacking, etc.
• Pax Romana: regarded as one of the best Tor websites with over 1300 products and services.
• Icarus Market: new, with bulk of its products in the drugs category – accepts Bitcoin and Monero.

It is important that anyone visiting any of the websites listed above have a Tor browser installed on their PC and make sure to use it when accessing these websites as the security risks associated with them are high.