You’ve probably heard the terms dark web and Tor mentioned in the media, however, accessing them isn’t as dangerous as it sounds. It’s actually very easy to get started.

The dark web is made up of websites that aren’t being indexed by search engines like Google. It’s the area of the web where data and other information that is normally private is stored. Email inboxes as well as Google Drive folders are stored on the deep web. They’re not visible to the public when using a standard browser.

On the dark web, there are several sites that have legitimate goals. SecureDrop, for example, is a dark-web site that allows anonymously submitting sensitive information by whistleblowers. There are websites where users can purchase and sell stolen credentials, including passwords and credit card numbers. These websites are commonly referred to as “marketplaces” and the most well-known examples are Silk Road and AlphaBay, however there are many others that have come and gone.

The key to browsing the dark web is a system called Tor that routes your connection through a number of volunteer servers, which are scattered across topknow.org/aloha-browser the globe. This makes it difficult for anyone else to monitor your activity. Tor is named that way because the information it encrypts traverses several layers similar to the onion layering in pizza, which helps to ensure your privacy.