ProPublica is a non-profit, Pulitzer Prize-winning news outlet that focuses on abuses of power and issues of public trust. ProPublica’s investigative journalism can upset powerful interests, so the outlet joined the dark web to help their journalists and readers access their content anonymously. Being on the dark web also lets whistleblowers send material to ProPublica without fear of reprisal.
What Is A Dark Web Marketplace?
In addition to this, many newer Silk Road-like platforms use cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Monero for payment, maintaining the original’s commitment to financial privacy. Torrez has been steady since 2020, rocking 4,650+ listings with BTC, LTC, ZCash, and Monero. Wallet-less payments and multi-signature deals make it a safe bet—I’ve never worried about getting burned, even after a close call with a dodgy vendor once. Next year, they’re boosting vendor sign-ups, so expect more action. DrugHub popped up in 2023 and quickly hit 15,000 listings—all drug-related. They’ve got a neat trick with a built-in Bitcoin mixer, plus Monero, so your payments stay hidden—perfect if you’re following our Monero tips.
Black Market Websites Like Silk Road
This is where Brandefense’s Dark Web Monitoring Solution plays a critical role. Monero and Bitcoin are two of the most commonly used digital currencies on the dark web markets. Due to being the most popular and the oldest coin, Bitcoin is traceable. However, Monero, on the other hand, is untraceable and the most trusted payment method on these markets. Therefore, most cybersecurity experts recommend using Monero while shopping on darknet markets. From there, these products are then passed on to distributors, which are the dark web marketplaces in this context.
Separate Your Real Life From Your Online Persona
It’s not replacing markets yet, but it’s a side hustle worth watching. After your Dwolla transfer moves to MtGox, you can use the money to purchase Bitcoins on the open market for a small percentage-based fee. Once this sale is complete, your bitcoins are best stored in your own bank account that is residing digitally on your computer. While technically not an onion site, we’re including Sci-Hub (sci-hub.se) as an interesting example of a site you can access via Tor. Sci-Hub gives access to millions of scientific papers, mostly ones from behind paywalls.
- Scammers on darknet markets claim to offer legit tools or services, but instead provide you with malicious software that can infect your device.
- On April , the Genesis market was seized as part of the international law enforcement crackdown dubbed “Operation Cookie Monster”. The site had specialized in the sale of “browser fingerprints”.
- In the image above, (a) is the surface web, which includes publicly visible websites like blogs, shopping sites, and news sites.
- Putting a stop to this kind of crime has been described as a “never-ending game of whack-a-mole” for law enforcement.
- You can even find things such as BIN checkers and PayPal cookie converters.
- To access the dark web, you will need the Tor browser, which provides the necessary anonymity and security.
Just Another Library is home to more than a million books that have been broken into over 40 categories for easy searching. You can find everything from fantasy novels to self-help books—as well as literature about traveling, biographies, and anything else that takes your fancy. You can head over to Archive Today to look at snapshots taken by other users. Alternatively, you can take a snapshot of a web page that you consider important and want to ensure is archived for freedom of information purposes.
The shop accepts payment through Bitcoin and Monero, while some vendors accept the coins. This marketplace specializes in a variety of illegal products, including drugs, counterfeit documents, and hacking tools. This marketplace focuses on selling stolen financial data, such as BINs (Bank Identification Numbers), RDP/VDS access, and verified crypto accounts for money laundering. In exploring the top 10 dark-web marketplaces in 2025, we’ve examined their core operations, diverse use-cases, inherent risks, and evolving trends.
Hidden Answers
This trove of stolen data included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and phone numbers, leaving millions of individuals vulnerable to identity theft. Shortly after the breach, a hacker group known as USDoD listed this data on dark web marketplaces, pricing it at a staggering $3.5 million. People have been organizing illicit trades via the Internet since the 1970s. Those early examples, though, were through closed networks, and the actual exchanges of money and goods generally had to take place in person. With the advent of crypto-currencies, it became not only possible to complete trades online without leaving a money trail but easy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Dark Web Marketplaces
From counterfeit and stolen products, to illegal drugs, stolen identities and weapons, nearly anything can be purchased online with a few clicks of the mouse. As when visiting ordinary websites, stay alert to security risks on onion sites. Don’t click on suspicious links, be skeptical of what you read, and avoid dark web marketplaces if you don’t want to stumble on illegal activity or content. At the time of its closing, the platform had nearly 900,000 users, of which more than a third—roughly 326,000—were active.
Bonus: The Silk Road
A favorite of journalists and their anonymous sources, SecureDrop makes it easy to share confidential information without revealing your identity. Many news publications, like the ones listed above, have a SecureDrop on their .onion sites. Discover how to safely access dark web marketplace links while ensuring your privacy and security online. Engstrom’s indictment, announced by the DOJ on Tuesday, also provides a window into how investigators trace even the most careful dark web transactions.
While Tor offers anonymity on the dark web, your online activities leave breadcrumbs that can reveal your identity. That is why you should only use a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN or NordVPN for additional security and privacy. Simply put, accessing and browsing the dark web is perfectly legal.
Eat Black Owned prides itself as the internet’s largest directory of black-owned restaurants. The website helps people find black owned restaurants around them. The last item on our dark web websites list is Google Feud or rather its evil twin. For those of you unfamiliar with this, G-Feud is a clear web game where you have to guess the answers to some random or topic-related search strings.
It has a search option to let you find local and international products and services on the dark web. A lot of vendors from all over the world are registered here, offering an extensive range of products, including digital services, security tools, and other equipment. For those who are looking for a reliable Alphabay Market alternative, Awazon Market aspires to become the solution.
