With Private Internet Access (PIA), you can tailor your online protection to your specific needs. Choose your level encryption (256 or 128-bit), security protocols (including OpenVPN and WireGuard), and kill switch type. I used OpenVPN with AES 256-bit for Tor and its Advanced kill switch (it works even when your VPN isn’t on). During testing, the kill switch immediately disconnected me from the internet when switching servers (when the VPN drops) so my data wouldn’t leak. Using a VPN while browsing the dark web provides an additional layer of privacy and security.
Protect Your Privacy Get Our Free VPN Guide Now!
For this reason, many people prefer to use a VPN to encrypt their connection to the Tor network, thereby preventing their ISP from being able to detect that they are accessing the dark web. The dark web has many legitimate use purposes and contains legitimate content, including dark web mirrors of popular websites and services such as BBC News and Facebook. Despite this, many people prefer not to advertise to their Internet Service Provider that they are accessing the dark web. The company may not have a large server network and access to much in the way of geo-restricted streaming content, but it does have plenty going for it in terms of privacy. You can sign up for the service completely anonymously, use a cryptographically signed installer, and double up on encryption using MultiHop servers. Proton VPN has decent connection speeds and has tools for giving long-distance connections a bump.
But that’s not recommended from a security standpoint and requires far more technical understanding to set up. Essentially, the dark web represents a small portion of the much larger deep web, a part of the internet that search engines like Google do not index. The dark web, on the other hand, is an intentionally hidden area of the deep web that can only be accessed by using software like Tor. Aside from privacy and online security risks, free VPNs are slow. If you’re using the Tor browser, your bandwidth will already be pretty limited, and a free VPN will only hamper it further. Server congestion, bandwidth limits, and data caps all contribute to a slow experience.
With its built-in ad and malware blocker, you don’t need to worry about malware and those pesky ads. Moreover, you don’t have to be frustrated by low speeds and lag, as the service offers exceptional fast upload and download speeds. The deep web makes up about 99% of the entire web, and it comprises unindexed web databases and other content that search engines can’t identify, crawl through, or catalog.
Accessing The Dark Web Safely
While some countries block or restrict access to the Tor Browser, surfing the dark web is not illegal as a standalone activity. That said, it’s essential to use a reliable VPN with robust leak prevention and a verified no-logs policy to ensure your activities are truly masked. But you’ll also find forums of all kinds, anonymous file-sharing services, whistleblower websites, and other valuable Intel that’s unavailable on the surface web.
- Before we proceed to our list, we want to give you a quick disclaimer.
- Use CyberGhost VPN to protect your connection and identity on the dark web.
- Indeed, ExpressVPN uses bank-grade encryption and a kill switch to prevent snoopers from catching up to you.
- This is good practice generally, but particularly important in countries where the Tor browser is blocked, such as China, Russia, Belarus, and Turkmenistan.
- Sometimes things happen and your connection to a VPN server drops.
- To be on the safe side, we recommend using a secure VPN in unison with the Tor browser.
Are VPNs More Secure Than Tor?
Overall, Hide.me is decent for what it is – a free darknet VPN with tons of compromises. It has a free plan that allows for 8 server locations in countries like the USA, Germany, Singapore, Canada, and a few more. It’s more than ProtonVPN and unlike that provider, it allows you to select a specific location. Another crucial thing is that it forbids P2P traffic, making torrenting a no-go zone. Unlike premium dark web VPNs, ProtonVPN also has only 5 server locations – the US, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland, and Japan.
By distributing communication over several nodes, it obscures the user’s IP address. Indeed, most nations; including the United States, the United Kingdom, and India, allow access to the dark web as a lawful activity. To understand how this is possible, we need to see how the web has many layers, and not all content is publicly available from a search engine query. In this guide, we’ll explain what the dark web is, how to access it safely, and why using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) with Tor is essential for anonymity. You can see just how powerful our encryption really is – and verify our no logs claim. There are over 135 countries and thousands of IP addresses to connect to.
Enjoy Secure, Anonymous Dark Web Browsing At Your Fingertips!
When you purchase using links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Lifehacker has been a go-to source of tech help and life advice since 2005. Our mission is to offer reliable tech help and credible, practical, science-based life advice to help you live better. DuckDuckGo is the default search engine inside the Tor browser, and once you turn on the Onionize toggle switch in the search box, you’re able to use it to find dark web links. These typically come with “.onion” after them, rather than something like “.com” as on the standard web. Cybersecurity has to also cover everything physically on your computer too—which law enforcement or government authorities might have the right to seize if they come calling.
Easy Steps To Access Dark Web On Your Phone Safely In 2024
This VPN is ideal for users with lots of devices since, unlike most of its rivals, it has no connection limits whatsoever. IPVanish protects your internet connection well with military-grade encryption. The provider also offers kill switch protection, auto-reconnect, “scramble,” and IPv6 leak protection. A VPN encases your internet connection in a protective encrypted tunnel. This protects your online activities from being monitored and recorded by outsiders. While an observer can detect you’re connected to the internet, they will not be able to detect that you’re using Tor or which websites you are visiting.
Will A Free VPN Keep Me Secure On The Dark Web? 🆓🔓
For instance, acceptance of cryptocurrencies is a great feature all VPNs for the deep web should have. Although more expensive than its competition, ExpressVPN is known as one of the most robust VPNs in the industry. Plus, focusing on the main topic of this guide, it also has a .onion site. Once you’ve done so, you’ll need to download and set up the VPN of your choice. To help you in this process, we’ve created a step-by-step guide. Keeping your VPN and Tor Browser updated ensures you benefit from the latest security patches.
Sadly, this introduced a bit of lag – namely, .onion URLs took longer to load. And, of course, you can pay for your PIA subscription with numerous cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitpay. PIA has a no-logging policy, but it hasn’t been verified through third-party audits. On the other hand, something ProtonVPN can boast that ExpressVPN can’t is its built-in Tor servers. In fact, the only reason ProtonVPN places below ExpressVPN is its speeds – it had the second-biggest drop at 12.51 Mbps (using Firefox, discussed below). You can also trust ExpressVPN to unblock Tor Browser in restricted countries, including China.
They also need to work seamlessly with the Tor Browser and the Dark Web, and shouldn’t collect any identifying activity logs. Experienced blogger with a strong focus on technology, currently advancing towards a career in IT Security Analysis. I possess a keen interest in exploring and understanding the intricacies of malware, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), and various cybersecurity challenges. My dedication to continuous learning fuels my passion for delving into the complexities of the cyber world. We already went through VPNs, anonymizing web browsers, and disposable operating systems, so I won’t bother reminding you about those.
The VPN also keeps you safe on the dark web with industry-leading security features. I like that it has an ad and malware blocker called Threat Manager, which can protect you from shady sites on the dark web. This provider delivers some of the best download speeds in the VPN industry, but it doesn’t stop there. It protects those connections with military-level encryption, and IPv6 leak and kill switch protections.
Ensure that you’re aware of what is permissible in your jurisdiction. I2P (Invisible Internet Project) is an open-source network designed to allow anonymous and private communication. Although it’s not as widely used as Tor, I2P can provide robust anonymity and is well-suited for peer-to-peer file sharing. Each of these options offers unique privacy features, with Whonix and Qubes for higher security setups, and Kodachi and Liberté for portability. Accessing the Tor network through Tails OS (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) on a thumb drive is a highly secure way to browse the dark web anonymously. Tails is a portable operating system specifically designed for privacy, and it includes the Tor Browser by default.
