The dark web, as the name implies, is a ‘hidden’ side of the internet. Given that a fair bit of the activity on the forums and sites there stray outside the boundaries of conventional web activity, it’s it’s important to think about your OPSEC. What is OPSEC? It stands for Operations Security, and refers to managing one’s own information and privacy.
While you can find dark web links leading to legal items such as books, music, and software. The dark web is also known to host goods and services that are considered unlawful by some nations and are not recommended or suggested. Still, if you’re doing research on how dark web links work, you will want to be sure that you’ve analyzed any possible critical info that you may be leaking to prying eyes.
Dark web links are a great place to find niche information on anything you’re interested in. It’s also a great place to read articles from whistleblowers and journalists who want to remain anonymous but have a tale to tell.
There are many dark web forums where you can discuss anything you want with others. You can also find people to hire for services such as hacking and programming. Of course, you can find weapons and other contraband.
If you’re concerned about security, you should avoid using a VPN since it may expose your data. The Tor browser, on the other hand, is what you want to use. It is utilized primarily for surfing the dark web, and sometimes for normal online browsing by people all around the world. It’s not very fast, but it will keep you anonymous.
Tails is a live operating system that you can boot up on almost any computer from a DVD, USB, or SD card. The main goals of this OS are preserving your privacy and anonymity while also helping you to use the dark web anonymously.
It’s critical that you back up your data regularly. Tails works on pretty much every computer these days, but it is worth being careful in case you lose your Tails stick, account, and clean coins. You shouldn’t send crypto directly from your wallet without first exchanging to Monero or tumbling them first. Remember: It’s not just the information on Tails that needs to be backed up; it’s also all of your other info too.
What if you’re just buying legal items from a market, do you need to take so many precautions? Perhaps not, as long as you’re not typically responsible for taxes or VAT, but most users of dark web links choose to err on the side of caution.
Our advice: stay away from electronics, counterfeit cash, credit cards, etc. These are almost always complete scams on the darknet. In addition, buy only from vendors with escrow or feedback enabled. Otherwise, they have no reason to send the products/services you purchased since there’s no disincentive to scam you.
Make sure you ues PGP encryption as well. Certificate managers like Kleopatra are a good option because they’re simple to use and have a built-in GUI. Tails has PGP included, so no need for Kleopatra if you’re using Tails. It’s basically to ensure your messages are encrypted, so that you and your vendor can exchange messages with keys that only you have access to.