What you’re looking for can’t be found
on the internet - at least the internet you know. Step right this way, into these doors - and
welcome to the Dark Web. What is this mysterious place where anything
can happen? You’re about to find out. Here are the fifty most insane facts about
the dark web. #50. Does It Actually Exist? If you’re starting your dark web journey
by typing in “how to find the dark web” on Google, you’re likely to be disappointed. The darkest corners of the internet trade
in some pretty illegal stuff, so no one who goes searching for it will find it easily
- including law enforcement. So if you’re going looking for this hidden
network of markets and illegal sites, you should probably know someone who’s in the
know. Think of it as an old-school speakeasy - if
you want to get in, you’d better know the password. And have the right equipment. #49. HOW Do You Get In? None of the sites making up the Dark Web can
be accessed through a standard browser, because Big Brother is watching. Instead, Dark Web users communicate through
small friend-to-friend peer-to-peer networks that let them communicate anonymously, as
well as anonymous networks like Tor, Freenet, I2P, and Riffle. These censorship-free systems are undetectable
by law enforcement - mostly - and most can be installed on a normal computer for little
to no money. But the name may not be to everyone’s tastes. #48. Mmm...Onion Rings? Wait, what do onions have to do with this? Maybe when you’re done satisfying your craving
at Burger King, you can protect your cybersecurity. Anonymous communication is often called onion
routing because after your message is sent off, it’s coated in layers of encryption,
making it impossible to read if anyone hacks it. With each router it goes through, it has one
level of encryption peeled away until it arrives at its destination in its original form - although
the original sender remains anonymous as long as they want to be. And the same goes for the funding. #47. Got Two Bits? If you want to buy something on the dark web,
you probably won’t be paying in cash - after all, you won’t be meeting anyone in person. And credit cards probably aren’t the best
idea either, as they can easily be traced. So that leaves one common source of payment
on the dark web - cryptocurrency. Tokens made of data, their most popular version
is Bitcoin, but don’t be surprised if some dark web sites want more rare currency that’s
even lower on the feds’ radar than the big gun. And while the feds might know that you bought
crypto, the encryption makes it very difficult for them to find what you spent it on. But the dark web might be smaller than you
think. #46. Welcome to the Bazaar The dark web is mysterious, imposing, and
hard to get to - but it might be less difficult to get around than you expected. That’s because many of them have been taken
down by law enforcement, but it’s estimated that there are only around fifty-five thousand
sites using the .onion domain. However, only 8,400 of those are active, and
most are seemingly benign. As for the sites that actually engage in illegal
activity? It seems to be a high percentage - as many
as 68% - but no one knows which will be taken down next. In fact, no site on the Dark Web is ever truly
safe. #45. Even Goliaths Fall It was the original online black market, and
the first true Dark Web market, and Silk Road was powerful. Using bitcoin as its method of trade, Silk
Road was run on the Tor router and primarily specialized in selling illegal drugs. It charged people to start accounts, and had
over a hundred thousand users at its high. And in 2013, it all came crashing down. The government shut down the site, seized
over a billion dollars in Bitcoin, and arrested its founder on charges relating to the massive
sale of illegal drugs. But that’s not the only thing you can buy
on the Dark Web. #44. It’s Free Money You know how annoying it is when you get a
security alert on your credit card and you have to cancel the card? There’s a decent chance your card just wound
up on the dark web. Stolen credit card numbers are some of the
hottest items on the black market auctions, but they’re not worth much if they get cancelled. That’s why these auctions are usually sold
in batches of one hundred - some are bound to still work before they get cancelled. Think of it as a collection of scratch-off
tickets, if they were wildly illegal. But some information is even more personal. #43. Social Insecurity Another prominent item sold on the dark web? Social security numbers. Identity theft is pretty common, but there’s
one particular item that everyone wants - any social security number belonging to someone
with a credit score above 750. This can be invaluable for getting an expensive
loan, and it often takes a lot longer to figure out that a social security number has been
stolen than a credit card. Of course, if someone gets caught, the penalties
for identity theft are much higher too. But what if your tastes in stolen goods are
a little...safer? #42. Hot Entertainment Stolen credit cards are big business on the
dark web, but some of them are used before they ever go up for auction. That’s the case for the offer of a lifetime
Netflix subscription paid for with stolen credit cards. All the risk falls on the person holding the
credit cards, and you just sit back and enjoy all the content. Of course, if something goes wrong with the
source of the cards, you can’t exactly contact customer service - and is the monthly subscription
fee really worth the bitcoin? And this next entry takes extreme couponing
to a new level. #41. Half Off, Today Only Have you ever been behind that woman in line
at the grocery store rummaging through her purse for coupons? She might be a notorious cyber criminal. One popular low-level scheme on the dark web
is to sell ultra-realistic copied coupons for common grocery items that work for ninety
days. Some of these are even made to order, allowing
people to get discounts on their favorite foods. That’s a lot of work for fifty cents off
Frosted Flakes. And another common grocery store label is
available too. #40. Try Your Luck Want to see if you can double your bitcoin? Just like the grocery store lets you sink
your money into low-stakes and high-stakes lotteries, there’s a bitcoin lottery too. It works just the same as the real thing,
except for the fact that it can only be purchased in cryptocurrency. Also, if you hit the jackpot, you don’t
get a giant novelty check to show off - and your cousin who is always broke doesn’t
see you on the news. That may be a plus. But if you have more illegal plans, the Dark
Web is there for you. #39. The Nth Degree Looking to get a high-paying, high-level job,
but there’s just one problem - you flunked out? With some bitcoin on the dark web, you could
easily become a high ranking ivy league student. This isn’t a new scam - fake college degrees
have been available for years online to be printed out, but they’ve now moved to a
new platform. Getting fake college transcripts for a background
check is trickier, but has been offered. Will this pass the smell test for your would-be
employer, or will it just be a conversation piece on the wall? That’s not the seller’s problem. And if you want to pull off the perfect crime,
you might need the perfect gear. #38. Mask Up Masks are everywhere right now, but none like
these. Bank robbers have been using halloween masks
to disguise their identity for a long time, but those in the know manage to get their
hands on ones that provide complete anonymity. These realistic silicone masks are a much
closer fit, create a realistic skin tone, and even make it easy for a bank robber to
essentially change race and throw the police off the trail if they escape. Many areas have made these masks illegal as
a security risk - which means there’s only one place to go. You might even be able to get some gear that
can’t be found anywhere else. #37. Lights Out One dark web site in China had a unique electronic
device available - claiming to be able to add credits to electronic slot machines to
allow unlimited play! Jackpot! But the device actually seemed to be a lot
more powerful than that. It worked as a portable EMP generator, one
that was powerful enough to fry any electronic device within its vicinity. In criminal hands, it could be used to sabotage
ATMs and other money-filled devices. In darker hands, it could be used to create
a disaster or shut down parts of a city. Let’s hope it was taken off the market. But the Dark Web isn’t all bad. It might even get you a new friend. #36. Wild Web As Netflix’s Tiger King swept the internet,
many people wondered - how do I start my own tiger zoo? The show probably should have talked them
out of that, but the dark web is there for their worst instincts. Illegal wildlife trade has been big on the
dark web since at least 2015, with listings for crocodiles, big cats, baby gorillas, and
other animals. And if some users prefer their animals less...lively,
they can also buy illegal animal products including bear paws, african ivory, and even
dog meat. But the Dark Web has a lot of uses besides
illegal trade. #35. Dark News The dark web has become a haven for people
looking to get away from corporate-driven news, believing they have a partisan bias
and use too much spin. That led to some dark web users creating a
new news aggregate site called Soylent News. It’s controlled by the users, filled with
news items from around the world, and has a public discussion forum. And hey, if a crackdown is going to start
on dark web markets, maybe you’ll find out here first. But some surprisingly famous sites have Dark
Web counterparts. #34. Bookface? Ah, Facebook. Where else are you going to get called names
by an old high school classmate over a political issue you don’t care about? So what does this social media network need
with a dark web mirror site? Well, for one thing, the site is blocked in
many countries around the world, and the mirror site lets millions of people join in. It also allows people to use the site anonymously,
and you don’t have to worry about the company selling your data to whoever passes by that
day. One company even created their own dark web
mirror. #33. ProPublica Undercover When you make powerful enemies, you need powerful
protection. The non-profit journalism site ProPublica
is famous for exposing betrayals of the public trust, even when it involves revealing private
documents. Because the government could crack down on
them or big business could sue them, they maintain their own dark web mirror site since
2016 to ensure that their archive can’t be lost and those looking for them can always
find their latest expose. But how do you get around the dark web? #32. A Map Through the Dark You know how you can just tool around wikipedia
and find enough links to keep you occupied while you should be working on your term paper? Well, the Hidden Wiki is a little different. Because the dark web is so hidden, to find
any site you’ll need to know both what it is and its exact URL. This won’t show up on Google. That’s why this site exists - if you’ve
made it to the dark web, you can go to this site first and find a map of just about anything
you want. Including a totally private social media network. #31. Welcome to the Galaxy Do you want a place to post your private thoughts
without any fear of your employer or family seeing them? Have you been cancelled one too many times
for your tweets? That’s where Galaxy3 comes in. An entirely dark-web-based social media platform,
it’s mostly used by long-time users and is a great place to find that specialist you’re
looking for. Kind of like approaching someone in a dark
alley, except the dark alley is on your computer. In fact, just about anything you can find
on the regular internet, you can find on the dark web. #30. A Mirror World Many sites have had popular dark web knock-offs
created - often with the help of designers from the original site. Reddit, DuckDuckGo, and mail servers are just
a few of the copies you can find, as users seek an escape from the threat of government
censorship or site moderation. Most of these communities are much smaller
than the original, but for those select few in the know, they can enjoy a truly anonymous
community. So how do you join the dark web? #29. Your Own Little Slice of the Dark You go on a site like GoDaddy or Google Domains
to purchase your website - and you find no options for Onion domains. Well, if it was out there for anyone to buy,
it wouldn’t be a secret. To get a dark web domain, you’ll have to
go to...the dark web. The most popular choice is Onion Domain, a
website that sells them for...you guessed it, bitcoin. Most URLs sold through there are a random
collection of digits, but you can have a custom one if you’re willing to pay. But for those who enter, there’s a darker
side than illegal markets. #28. Unlock the Mystery Many visitors to the dark web just want the
thrill of something mysterious and possibly illegal. That’s why a popular item on the markets
is mystery boxes. You bid in bitcoin, and the box is anonymously
shipped to your house. What’s inside? That’s anyone’s guess. Some people have found harmless items like
a My Little Pony backpack, or even a completely empty box? Not worth the cost? Good luck getting a refund. But some unboxers have received a more unpleasant
surprise. #27. An Unwelcome Gift “Unboxing” may be the hottest trend on
YouTube, but those unboxing their dark web gifts are often surprised in the wrong way. Some have found drugs. Some have found weapons that seem to have
blood on them. One found a ziploc bag full of hair. And one found a more personal touch. It was a bag full of white powder, marked
with a biohazard sticker, and a CD. When the CD was played, it was the sound of
laughing followed by a mysterious voice saying “I see you”. Who sent it? No one ever found out. But who is actually sending these boxes? #26. Generation Dark Web Is the dark web full of dangerous criminals? The answer is a lot more complicated than
that. While no one knows the exact demographics,
many of the most avid users are tech-savvy Gen Z kids who are concerned about their privacy. Many of them have no criminal history, so
the odds are many of these terrifying mystery boxes are essentially elaborate pranks designed
to scare those who receive them or go viral on YouTube. But that’s not always the case. #25. A Den of Thieves The dark web has been increasingly used as
a haven for high-level criminals, looking to get away with their crimes away from the
public eye. Because the dark web is an international hub,
it’s become a common place for Russian financial criminals to commit fraud. A common tactic is to create a duplicate of
a legitimate commerce site with a slightly different URL, and trick people into giving
them their personal or financial information - which then disappears into thin air. But the crimes of the dark web don’t always
stay there. #24. Hack Away One of the most notorious criminal enterprises
on the dark web is hacking collectives. These criminals send out trojan horse e-mails
and files that contain links to viruses. While some viruses are just destructive and
destroy computer systems - because some hackers just want to see the world burn - most are
designed to extort the user. You want your computer containing all your
files unlocked? Better pay up - in Bitcoin, of course. Whether the password to unlock the computer
will work? Well, that’s anyone’s guess. But the hackers are getting savvier and savvier. #23. A Bigger Hack? Previously, you could avoid most viruses by
not opening suspicious files. But hackers have developed new, smarter viruses
that can spread through backdoors and attack computer systems even if no one lets them
in. This has been used to shut down everything
from hospital computer networks, to government sites, to oil pipelines supplying much of
the United States. And the bigger the target, the higher the
ransom. And in 2017, the crisis hit its worst point. #22. Wanna Cry? On May 12th, 2017, the Wannacry cyber attack
began and spread through over 230,000 computers. Many users paid the ransom quickly - but no
one ever got their data back. This led to crises around the world as Microsoft
scrambled to get updates out that would protect their computers, and security experts battled
to save much of the world’s computer infrastructure. The savior? Marcus Hutchins, a cyber-expert who had worked
on illegal hacking software before and knew the ins and outs of viruses. Sometimes, a dark web denizen is needed to
stop the dark web. But some darker corners of the dark web are
lurking as well… #21. That’s Nasty For those who came of age in the internet
age, finding your first porn on the internet has replaced sneaking a peak at dad’s lady
mags. But for those looking, they probably shouldn’t
cut their teeth on the dark web’s offerings. These hidden sites are where people go when
they want a type of porn that’s darker than the average. Much contains illegal activity, and both the
providers and the downloaders have found themselves in trouble with the law - but for every site
the law cracks down on, the odds are another one is waiting. Some areas of the dark web may even be a threat
to global security. #20. Terror from the Dark Web It was the 1990s and the internet was still
new, but that didn’t stop dangerous elements from carving out their own corner. The birth of the dark web let people gather
away from prying eyes - and some of the first to take advantage were extremist groups from
around the world. The dark web became a place for terrorist
groups to gather, spread propaganda, and plot attacks without the authorities being able
to track them. It wasn’t long before the most prominent
terror groups in the world got in on the action. #19. The War Goes Dark As the Syrian Civil War raged, brutal attacks
were carried out against the civilian population. And on the dark web, some evil elements were
trying to pass more money on to the terrorists. When a man named Ahmed Sarsur attempted to
hire snipers via the dark web, he was quickly caught. Investigations showed that even ISIL had a
presence on the dark web, with multiple sites - some real and some fake - serving as places
for the terrorists to gather. But they were ultimately undone by an unlikely
source. #18. Who Are They? After the 2015 Paris attacks, ISIL found their
Dark Web site taken down and hacked. The culprit? A powerful hacker group named Anonymous, known
for their use of a Guy Fawkes mask as their icon and for their release of information
the most powerful people in the world don’t want you to know. A collective of online guerillas, their tactics
were ruthless and targeted elements from across the political spectrum - meaning just about
everyone wanted to stop them. But that would be easier said than done, and
the hacker collective pulled off some impressive feats. #17. Crossovers Anonymous became one of the first dark web
groups to maintain a presence on both the main internet and the dark web, setting up
anonymous twitter accounts and on other social media sites. This was so their information and ultimatums
could be seen by a wider audience, as they took on targets including Scientology, the
Ferguson and Cleveland police departments, and even the Canadian government. But it wasn’t to last - the Anonymous Twitter
account was quickly suspended. But the powerful hacking group wasn’t always
on target. #16. False Flags Anonymous was a large, collective operation
- and that meant its information was only as good as each individual member putting
it out. The hacking group’s reputation took a big
hit during the Ferguson protests when they vowed to identify the officer involved in
the shooting - and then named the wrong one. Later, they promised to reveal a list of politicians
who were secretly members of the Ku Kluk Klan - and named several who were members of religions
and ethnicities who are hated by the Klan. Whoops. But their most prominent role crossed over
into the world of journalism. #15. Welcome to WikiLeaks Wikileaks isn’t on the dark web - it’s
a website anyone can visit. But no one’s managed to take it down, no
matter how many prominent governments would like to. Founded by the controversial Julian Assange,
it specializes in posting classified documents from the highest level of governments around
the world. While Assange has been provided his documents
by agents within the government, most of his communications are done by the dark web. That hasn’t stopped him from being wanted
by multiple countries, leading him to take refuge in the embassies of friendly nations. But not all hackers have a higher purpose
or political goal. #14. The Wrong Evite You wouldn’t think Evite would be a hub
for dark web activity. The social planning service has tens of millions
of followers, most of which use it for organizing invites to events. But in 2019, the site was targeted in a massive
security breach, and more than ten million users had their personal information leaked. The hacker behind it had a relatively modest
demand - just under $2000 in Bitcoin. But Evite had a policy of not paying ransom
to avoid encouraging hackers - and countless people’s information wound up being put
up for auction on the dark web. But not every Dark Web mystery has a criminal
connection. #13. Dead-End Mystery It was August 2012, and around the dark web
users were finding odd clues. This was part of an augmented reality game,
which combined clues on the internet that led them to locations in the real world. A combination of codes scattered around multiple
sites made it very hard to crack, and users went to intense lengths like driving to New
York to answer a specific payphone at 3 in the morning. So what was the mystery behind this scavenger
hunt? A Bitcoin treasure? Nope, it was all a promotion for a new album
by the hip-hop group Death Grips. Okay, so that was sort of chaotic neutral. But the dark web has its good side too. #12. Checkmate Are you interested in testing your wits - but
never knowing who you’re playing? Feel free to step into a game of chess played
exclusively on the dark web. You’ll be matched against someone from anywhere
in the world, and will play on a simple website that looks like it could have come straight
out of 1995. While sure, you could just play in real life
or on a regular website, at least here you’ll never know if you just got trounced by a six-year-old
prodigy. And those cramming for a paper can say “Thank
you, Dark Web”! #11. The Science Side Academic papers are expensive, and can quickly
add up for struggling college students living on ramen. That’s why many sites have cropped up getting
around those paywalls by uploading papers and textbooks to the dark web. While some are illegal piracy websites that
get shut down regularly, the trend has spread with some organizations even encouraging authors
to submit their own papers for public viewing on onion domains. And if you’re a journalist looking to protect
your source, the Dark Web is there for you. #10. Blow Away Being a whistleblower is a risky game. At best, you could be violating a corporate
non-disclosure agreement. At worst, you could be risking jail time or
even your life. That’s where SecureDrop comes in. A dark web site that provides open-source
submission, it lets journalists and sources communicate without storing any IP addresses
or other data. Prominent newspapers like The Washington Post
have even started using them. The dark web is going mainstream in journalism. But for every ray of light, there’s a dark
side. #9. The Worst of the Worst The dark web has played host to some truly
notorious criminals, and some have paid a heavy price. Vietnamese hacker Hieu Mingh Ngo might be
one of the worst - for quantity, not quality. The identity theft expert had been running
a massive operation from his home and managed to steal over two hundred million people’s
identity information around the world. He would sell it to other hackers - until
the feds caught up with him, which landed him thirteen years in federal prison. But that wasn’t the harshest sentence any
Dark Web criminal got. #8. The Kingpin If you went through the online marketplace
Silk Road in the 2000s, the odds are you heard about someone called the Dread Pirate Roberts. That would be the man better known as Ross
Ulbricht, the mastermind of Silk Road. His digital black market sold millions of
dollars in illegal drugs and other goods - but not weapons, as the staunch libertarian didn’t
believe in them. But that didn’t stop him from contracting
out hits on potential enemies. When his empire came crashing down, he was
eventually sentenced to a double life sentence plus forty years. But some criminal enterprises on the dark
web claim to go even further. #7. Guns for Hire Is it really possible to contract someone’s
death on the dark web? A lot of people think so - because you don’t
have to go far to find someone claiming to be an assassin for hire. The process is simple - you pay them bitcoin,
they hunt their target, and no one ever knows who hired them. But no assassinations have ever been tied
to these dark web assassins, which means many people think the entire thing is a hoax. But if it’s a hoax, one assassination platform
took the hoax too far. #6. Boldface Names It was called the Assassination Market. Founded by a self-declared crypto-anarchist
who used Tor to keep the site secret, it offered crowd-funded assassinations of prominent figures
including the President of the United states and the chairman of the federal reserve. Anyone who claimed a bounty could collect
however much had been raised for that assassination - but no one ever took the bait on the big
names. While the site has been defunct for years,
someone cashed out all the bitcoins in 2018… But is the Dark Web coming after...you? #5. The Hunters Rumors abound of people being kidnapped to
be sold on the dark web - and there’s truth to this. In 2019, a British model named Chloe Ayling
went to Milan for a photo shoot - only to be kidnapped by two men who ambushed her. She was found after four weeks, and the plan
by the men was to put her up for auction on the dark web. No one knows who intended to buy her or what
their plan was, but whether people are being sold on the dark web or not, some kidnappers
see it as a new revenue stream. But for those sold on the dark web, is there
a dark destination? #4. What Is The Red Room? Wherever you look, people are talking about
the darkest of dark web locations. A website where you can watch live streams
of random people being tortured and killed by masked maniacs. Who are these victims? Some say they’re horrible people who escaped
the law - and others say they’re innocents kidnapped off the streets. But no one has been able to find any of these
Red Rooms, and authorities believe the most likely reason why is that they’re only a
gruesome urban legend. But urban legend or not, they’re not going
away any time soon. #3. A Dark Sensation The red room legend may be the dark web’s
lasting legacy, with the idea becoming popular far from the internet’s reaches. Horror movies have been made about the concept,
a digital update of the popular “Torture cabin” genre of horror. Even comics are getting in on the action - acclaimed
cartoonist Ed Piskor releases a monthly indie comic about the employees of the torture chamber
called...you guessed it...Red Room. But this dark corner of the internet isn’t
a secret anymore. #2. More Popular Than Ever Despite all the scary rumors, the dark web
is becoming a popular place to do business. Part of it is the privacy and decreased risk
of hackers - which is ironic, because you’re more likely to interact with hackers there. Some of it is the increased use of cryptocurrency,
but whatever the reason, it’s paying off - it’s estimated that up to thirty percent
of Americans have used the dark web at some point. And that means big money. #1. Ka-Ching! No one knows exactly how much money is spent
on the dark web each year. That’s a big part of the appeal - no one
knows what you’re up to. But estimates are that it’s now a billion-dollar
business, mostly in smaller bitcoin transactions. That’s a lot of secret purchases, and whether
they’re buying mystery boxes, drugs, illegal pets, or your identity - well, that’s for
them to know and you not to find out. For more on this mysterious corner of the
internet, check out “Why You Should Never Visit the Dark Web - Compilation” or watch
“Worst Internet ATTACK the World Has Ever Seen” for more on the chaos caused by WannaCry.
