{"id":22606,"date":"2022-12-11T19:15:21","date_gmt":"2022-12-11T19:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/11\/how-to-access-onion-sites-also-known-as-tor-hidden-services\/"},"modified":"2022-12-11T19:15:21","modified_gmt":"2022-12-11T19:15:21","slug":"how-to-access-onion-sites-also-known-as-tor-hidden-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/11\/how-to-access-onion-sites-also-known-as-tor-hidden-services\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Access .onion Sites (Also Known as Tor Hidden Services)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\"Tor<\/p>\n

Download the Tor browser from “torproject.org\/download” and install it. Click “Establish a Connection,” then enter the “.onion” address you want to visit into the address bar.<\/p>\n

Website addresses that end in \u201c.onion\u201d aren\u2019t like normal domain names, and you can\u2019t access them with a normal web browser.\u00a0Addresses that end with \u201c.onion\u201d point to Tor hidden services on the \u201cdeep web\u201d.<\/p>\n

Warning:<\/strong> Lots of .onion sites contain very nasty things, and many of them are likely scams. We recommend staying away from \u201cbrowsing\u201d .onion sites\u2013instead, use this only if\u00a0you have a specific site you want to access for a good reason.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What Is a .onion Site?<\/h2>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Browse Anonymously With Tor<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Tor\u2013short for \u201cthe onion router\u201d\u2013is an anonymizing computer network<\/a>. It\u2019s partially funded by the US government, and is designed to help people in countries where Internet access may be censored or monitored. When you connect to Tor, your internet activity is sent through the Tor network, anonymizing your Internet activity so it can\u2019t be snooped on, and so that you can access websites that may be blocked in your country.<\/p>\n

So, when you access google.com through Tor, your request bounces from Tor relay\u00a0to Tor relay\u00a0before it reaches an \u201cexit node\u201d<\/a>. That exit node\u00a0then contacts Google.com for you, and it sends you back the data Google responded with. Google sees this as the exit node\u2019s IP address contacting it instead of your IP address.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Is Tor Really Anonymous and Secure?<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

But that means that \u201clast mile\u201d of traffic can be snooped on by an organization monitoring or even running the exit nodes\u2013especially if your traffic is unencrypted. A \u201c.onion\u201d address points to a Tor hidden service, which is a server you can only access through Tor. This means that your browsing activity can\u2019t be snooped on\u00a0by someone watching\u00a0the Tor exit nodes. It also means that someone hosting a website can hide that server using the Tor network, so no one can find it\u2013in theory.<\/p>\n

For example, Facebook maintains an official Tor hidden services address at \u201cfacebookwkhpilnemxj7asaniu7vnjjbiltxjqhye3mhbshg7kx5tfyd.onion\u201d. This allows you to access Facebook through Tor, and your connection doesn\u2019t ever leave Tor where it can be snooped on. This may be useful in countries that block Facebook, for example.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t necessarily want to use Tor all the time, as it\u2019s slower than just browsing normally. But it\u2019s a useful tool for anonymizing your Internet activity and bypassing censorship.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

How to Access .onion Sites with the Tor Browser<\/h2>\n

To access a .onion address, you\u2019ll need to access it through\u00a0the Tor Browser. It\u2019s a modified version of Firefox that\u2019s configured to connect to sites through the Tor network.<\/p>\n

Download the Tor Browser<\/a> from the Tor project\u2019s website to continue. It\u2019s available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.<\/p>\n

On Android phones and tablets, we previously recommended the Orbot proxy app<\/a> or\u00a0Orfox browser<\/a>\u00a0from Google Play. The Tor project still offers no official Tor apps for iPhone or iPad, but some third-party apps are available in Apple\u2019s App Store.<\/p>\n

\"Establishing<\/p>\n

After launching the Tor browser, type the .onion address into its\u00a0address bar. For example, to access Facebook\u2019s hidden service, you\u2019d enter the following address:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/facebookwkhpilnemxj7asaniu7vnjjbiltxjqhye3mhbshg7kx5tfyd.onion<\/pre>\n
Or, to access the DuckDuckGo search engine\u2019s hidden service, you\u2019d enter:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion\/<\/pre>\n
While using the Tor browser, you can click links to .onion addresses and they\u2019ll load normally. But they\u2019ll only work in the Tor browser, while connected to Tor.<\/p>\n
\"Facebook's<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t\u00a0Access .onion Sites\u00a0Through Proxies Like Tor2Web<\/h2>\n
You can also access .onion sites without running Tor through proxies that connect to Tor for you. The proxy connects to Tor for you and then forwards you the traffic over the regular Internet.<\/p>\n
This, however, is a very bad idea!\u00a0You\u2019re losing the anonymity you normally have when you connect to a .onion site through the Tor browser. That\u2019s the whole point of a .onion address, after all. The website you access maintains its anonymity, but someone monitoring your connection can see which website you\u2019re connecting to. The service provider can also see what you\u2019re connecting to and snoop on any passwords and other private information\u00a0you provide over the connection.<\/p>\n
Tor2web<\/a>\u00a0functions in this way, but you shouldn\u2019t use it. For example, if you attempt to connect to Facebook\u2019s hidden service using Tor2web<\/a>, Facebook blocks the connection and tells you it\u2019s\u00a0a bad idea.<\/p>\n
\"A<\/p>\n
Looking for lists of .onion sites? Search the web for lists of .onion sites and you\u2019ll find some places to start. Many of the directories of .onion sites are themselves stored on .onion sites, though, which you can only access through Tor.<\/p>\n
Again, beware:\u00a0Lots of .onion sites contain very nasty things, and many of them are likely scams. We recommend staying away from them, if possible. This trick is best used when you\u00a0want to browse to a specific .onion site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n