Launched in 2018 by a user known as HugBunter, Dread mimics Reddit’s user experience, making it one of the most user-friendly dark web forums. Though primarily focused on darknet market discussions (e.g., drugs), it’s increasingly hosting threads on hacking and security exploits. Originally launched in 2013 and rebranded in 2018, it facilitates the sale of malware, stolen databases, and unauthorized access credentials. The forum is available both on the surface web and via TOR, enhancing accessibility for vetted users. With over 15 billion records sourced from nearly 936 datasets, BreachForums remains one of the largest dark web forums for data leaks.
Catching Criminals On The Dark Web
Another UK watchdog report, published in the Guardian today, alleges that Apple is vastly underreporting the amount of child sexual abuse materials shared via its products, prompting concern over how the company will manage content made with generative AI. In it’s investigation, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) compared official numbers published by Apple to numbers gathered through freedom of information requests. Our goal is to provide search engines with shareable matching phrases so that they can filter CSAM and we can continue to update the phrases.
On Popular Online Platforms, Predatory Groups Coerce Children Into Self-harm
Following Pompompurin’s arrest in March 2023, the site briefly went offline but returned in June under the control of ShinyHunters, a well-known threat actor group. When you purchase things online using cryptocurrency, third-parties can still link your transactions to your identity. The service scrambles your Bitcoin with that of other crypto users, affording you complete anonymity.
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All in all, it is not illegal to access the dark web, but it can create issues for you. If you don’t take the necessary measures, many unsavory activities can expose you to unnecessary risks. Activists and government critics prefer to remain anonymous, fearing repercussions if their identities are revealed.
Dark Web Links: The Onion Patch – Best 20 Websites You Shouldn’t Miss
Note that some features of the normal website are not available on the .onion version, including BBC iPlayer. Archive.today (formerly known as Archive.is) is a platform that aims to preserve the web’s cultural and scientific heritage. It’s also mandatory that you regularly speak to a psychologist, explains Van der Bruggen. ‘The most important thing for me was the informal social control among colleagues. If a colleague was struggling with what we were exposed to, we would quickly pick up on it. Whether you’re curious about the hidden corners of the internet or need practical tips on navigating it, we are here for you.
- In order to encompass all activities, we refer to these individuals as ‘CSAM users’ in this article.
- “Sometimes not when they’re doing the crime, but when they’re just online doing their own personal thing, sometimes they mix up accounts,” Henderson explained.
- Onion sites (aka Tor sites) are websites only accessible on the dark web; you can’t view them using a regular browser.
- These sexual preferences are classified as mental health disorders because they result in self-harm and harm to others, and therapy can improve well-being and prevent harm to children5.
- Transcripts were re-read and segments of text re-coded, where necessary.
Best Dark Web Sites In 2025 (Unseen Onion, Tor Links)
Confidential government files and pages tied to unlawful trafficking often get filtered out. The New York Times operates one of the biggest news sites on the Tor network, letting users access its regular news coverage with increased privacy and security. The onion site is especially beneficial for people in regions with heavy censorship or restricted access to media.
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Here are some things to keep in mind while browsing your favorite dark web websites. ProPublica, a famous non-profit news organization that has been awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, is committed to exposing power abuses and public trust issues through its investigative journalism. Apparently, Hack-Rent-A-Hacker’s most popular ‘service’ is Facebook account hacking – figures! Anyway, if you’re in this sort of thing, someone can help you get inside a Facebook account for 250 euros. It goes without saying that I do not advise you to seek this sort of service.
Thousands Of Realistic But Fake AI Child Sex Images Found Online, Report Says
If you are under investigation for Internet sex crime charges, it is generally advisable to stay off of the dark net, as further actions could unknowingly incriminate you further. If the evidence being held against you was obtained due to your activities on the dark web, it’s important to work with an experienced and tech-savvy lawyer who understands these complex online networks. As noted, a small minority of suspects were explicit about having a sexual interest in adults, in addition to a sexual interest in children. Where it was stated, the number of suspects with a sexual interest in one gender of children, versus a sexual interest in both genders, was comparable. Demonstrating value Offenders also tend to demonstrate how they can benefit the community.
Clearly, if you want to form your exclusive private club of family members, friends, fellow journalists, or other close-knit groups, Keybase is a wonderful online platform. It also works with Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux, ensuring your co-participants can use any device. Join millions of users who trust ForestVPN for privacy and unrestricted internet access. Forest VPN encrypts your connection, adding an extra layer of protection over Tor’s encryption.
Another point is it does highlight that, even though the list is enormous, hidden services are discoverable. If you only want to mask your IP address and don’t need to access the dark web, then going online with a VPN is much easier and faster than using Tor. Impreza Hosting is a service that helps you host a site on the Tor network. It provides an .onion URL and an interface for you to manage your Tor site easily. It also boasts that no personal information is required to use the service, and payment can be made with cryptocurrency.
Telegram: A Thriving Hub Of Criminal Activity
In the UK alone, traffic increased by 61%, with 3.7 million visits in December from predominantly people under the age of 34 – many of them teenagers. To anonymize your activities, the Tor browser ferries your connection through a network of volunteer-operated servers across the globe. On the downside, web surfing on Tor can be slow since your traffic is traveling over the various network nodes. Dark web domains are generated in a cryptographically secure way, so they look like random strings of 16 characters or more (like 3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion, for example). For example, I looked up google.com and was able to find a snapshot of Google’s home page from 2008. I read most of the guides on Surveillance Self-Defense, and they’re very useful — they cover everything from phishing attacks and encryption to creating secure passwords and deleting data on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
As a result, White and his team are developing a “Dark Web crawler” that explores the Tor-accessible, peer-to-peer areas of the deep Web and has thus far done much to enlighten the researchers as to the extent of dark Web activity. Whereas it was once thought to consist of 1,000 or so pages, White says there could be anywhere between 30,000 and 40,000 dark Web pages. “Just finding these pages and seeing what’s on them is a new aspect of search technology,” he says. This past August White rolled out Memex to additional beta testers—two district attorney’s offices, a law enforcement group and a nongovernmental organization (NGO).
How Do I Open Onion Links?
Alongside the rise in frequency, the content depicted in CSEA material has become increasingly more extreme and violent (Europol, 2014). Telegram’s very design seems built to invite and protect criminals and predators, affording them a low-risk, high-reward environment in which to operate without fear of consequences. Ahmia’s .onion link is a search engine that indexes hidden services on the Tor network, allowing users to find .onion sites safely and efficiently. It filters out harmful and illegal content, focusing on legitimate resources and services. Ahmia has become a trusted tool for navigating the Dark Web, with thousands of users relying on it for its transparency and user-reporting features. To gain access to this platform, users need the right skills and knowledge.
Authorities remain committed to following leads, bringing more offenders to justice, and dismantling similar networks worldwide. Before authorities took it down on March 11, 2025, Kidflix was expanding at an alarming rate. Users could also earn tokens by uploading material, verifying titles and descriptions and assigning categories to videos, it added.
