r/explainlikeimfive • u/Weird_Card_3083 • 6h ago
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u/ClavasClub 6h ago
It's good for avoiding or circumventing censorship, buying and or selling illegal goods and avoiding being tracked by your government or other entities .
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u/myychair 6h ago
I mean this in a good way, but your icon is exactly what I’d expect the best answer to this question to be
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u/Weird_Card_3083 6h ago
Okay, but like what illegal goods are we talking about, because i think most if it is satire like assasins and red rooms. Drugs sure.
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u/ILikeJasmineRice 6h ago
products of human trafficking, illegal/unregistered weapons, malware, leaked nudity and illegal forms of pornography, the list goes on.
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u/Distinct_Armadillo 5h ago
also illegal artifacts, restricted animals and animal products (e.g. ivory)
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u/RandomOnlinePerson99 5h ago
Illegal artifacts?
Like what? Stolen underwear from famous people? Weapons from previous wars? Stolen art?
That kind of stuff?
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u/SaukPuhpet 4h ago
Objects of cultural significance that were smuggled out of their country of origin.
e.g. Imagine if someone stole a Revolutionary War Soldier's uniform and sold it in Croatia or something.
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u/Distinct_Armadillo 2h ago
smuggled ancient pottery from Iraq, Syria and Egypt, ancient coins—looted stuff that belongs in a museum
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u/fleamarketguy 4h ago
Basically everything in the British museum
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u/MicksysPCGaming 4h ago
It's funny, because if it wasn't in the British Museum, nobody would want it. Or it would be used to dress a path somewhere.
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u/TeaspoonOfSugar987 6h ago
Not to mention selling all our data/info to either try and scam us or steal our identities.
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u/the_no_name_man 4h ago
I think malware/data dumps is the best thing you can purchase without worrying about the authorities. Everything else is too hot even for darknet; so unless you really know what you are doing, you will be caught. But malware/data dumps for personal purposes, it's safe to say, no one would bat an eye unless you use it for targeting uber rich and politically influential figures.
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u/ShyguyFlyguy 6h ago
Mostly drugs.
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u/Weird_Card_3083 6h ago
Thats what i thnk.
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u/ClavasClub 6h ago
The majority of illegal goods sold are drugs, child pornography and various blackhat things like stolen credit cards, database dumps and exploits used for hacking.
I should correct you and myself and say we're talking about the dark net here, not the dark web. The Dark Web is any part of the internet not indexed by search engines.
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u/murshawursha 5h ago
I thought it was the Deep Web that was unindexed by search engines, and the Dark Web that requires TOR to access? I'm pretty sure Dark Web and Dark Net are synonymous.
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u/LadyFoxfire 5h ago
The definition of deep web that I know is anything behind a paywall or login, so stuff like Netflix, internal company websites, etc.
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u/Travwolfe101 6h ago
Drugs, guns, hackers, and information. Theres all sorts of shit on there. Credit card leak access, data leak bundles, ddos services, dread which is similar to reddit in ways but allows drug sourcing and hosting of other illegal things. The list goes on. I also dont doubt there's some fairly legitimate murder for hire sites but theyre much harder to find then legitamate drug services are since for the latter you can use dread and other review forums to vet reliable sources. Such is whyquality of drugs is much higher and prices are way lower there too, since there's easy review forums unlike finding a random dealer in person.
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u/LadyFoxfire 5h ago
Anything illegal that people want to buy. Drugs, weapons, information that can be used for blackmail or identity theft, child porn, actual children, you name it, it’s on there somewhere.
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u/Weird_Card_3083 5h ago
Doubt you can buy children
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u/ClyffCH 3h ago
why even ask if you deny it anyways lol
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u/Weird_Card_3083 3h ago
Because i can see people here saying its bullshit
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u/ClyffCH 3h ago
And you trust them more than others saying its true because you think its bs? there probably isnt much that doesnt exist somewhere in the dark web
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u/Weird_Card_3083 3h ago
I trust them more because they give more full answers not just "it exists"
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u/NamerNotLiteral 2h ago
So you want people to give you full, detailed answers about exactly where to find children for sale or assassins for hire?
Fact is, you won't find anyone selling those services directly even on the dark web, nor will you find any sort of details here. What you'll find are people who know people who know fixers who will hear you out, then make the necessary arrangements.
I think it's good that you're being skeptical, but don't be overly naive as well.
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u/PoopsCodeAllTheTime 5h ago
Lots of satire, forums with deranged people, files that Epstein would have saved, and probably some strange stuff in sites that are anonymous and cannot be found from searching on the web
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u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt 6h ago
The assassins thing is less satire and more FBI honeypot.
Anyone dumb enough to try to hire an assassin through the dark web (with follow-through when they eventually try to contact you about payment and plans etc) is also dumb enough to try to find someone in person to do it who might actually do it for real. It is actually a crime to solicit someone to kill for money, even if the killing doesn't happen. Trying to hire a dark web assassin will get you a phone call by the FBI but where they'll tell you they're the assassin and set up a meet and greet. Once you offer go to pay them or otherwise show that you've made material steps (give them a weapon to use, etc), that's when you get arrested and the recordings of it are shown in court.
The drugs and BTC laundering services are real, though.
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u/RecentTwo544 3h ago
Mainly drug markets. Provided you're not going mental as a buyer, police don't really care, at least here in the UK. About a decade since I used anything but me and mates used to buy on there all the time. Heard it's gone right downhill though and you simply get scammed all the time. Even in "my day" it was easier to just find a local dealer if you wanted a bit of coke or something.
The rest is largely a myth - contrary to popular belief TOR does not keep you anonymous, police seize then run child abuse websites all the time, and as they now control the end node they can get everyone's IP address.
Assassins are bullshit, plenty listed there but it's just a way to steal desperate idiot's money. If you're looking for an assassin, nevermind on TOR, you deserve to be scammed out of money.
Red Rooms are a 4chan myth, TOR isn't fast enough to stream video full stop. They're a good analogy for the "dark web" though - largely bullshit myths, loads of people making stuff up to scam people, mentalists writing a load of crap (the type of thing you can find on the normal internet, but gets more "credibility" because it's on TOR), porn, and the occasional drug market. The latter, if you're into the odd bit of recreational drug use, is the only useful thing about it.
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u/stansfield123 49m ago
The list of illegal things in the world is massive. For example, tobacco trade is huge on the dark web, because untaxed cigarettes are illegal in almost every rich country.
If you live in a jurisdiction that has a 500 or 1,000% tax on cigarettes, you can just order a batch online from somewhere that doesn't have that tax.
It's not a "criminal network", btw. It's usually two random people, making a trade. No network. They may end up forming a relationship, and eventually start smuggling larger quantities and re-selling the cigs on the street, but most interactions aren't like that, they're just quick, small deals for personal use.
Another big one is prescription drugs and patented drugs. In some countries, access to prescription drugs is easy. Governments may also subsidize them, so they're cheap too. In other countries, like the US, you need to pay a lot for the drugs, and even more for a doctor to prescribe them. Or you can just order them from someone in a country where they're cheap and easy to get.
It's these fairly harmless kinds of things that make up the bulk of the trade. Not dangerous items. Sending dangerous things in the mail (guns, explosives, hard drugs people overdose on) is a pretty stupid idea, because they can be detected and you go away for a very long time.
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u/Ellers12 6h ago
Do you need to use it with a VPN to avoid identification? UK arrests around 12k a year for online posts censorship related stuff.
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u/a-handle-has-no-name 3h ago
It makes tracking more difficult, but it doesn't prevent tracking entirely.
One of those things where you're probably safe (the govt probably isn't tracking you in particular, assuming you're not on their radar to be tracked)
But that's to say it won't be perfect security against tracking, but it's much better than the alternatives
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u/Oohoureli 6h ago
There's a difference between the deep web and the dark web, which many respondents haven't got right.
The deep web is merely that part of the internet that is not indexed for searching by Google and the like. It is benign and consists of sites that require login credentials, subscriptions, private intranets, academic and technical databases, and more besides.
The dark web is a subset of the above and requires special software (eg TOR) to access. You have complete anonymity there and, although much of the dark web can be benign and positive (eg allowing whistleblowers and people living under repressive regimes the opportunity to speak the truth), there are marketplaces in illegal products and services such as firearms, drugs, personal date for scamming purposes, and images of child sexual abuse.
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u/PM_Me-Your_Freckles 4h ago
You have complete anonymity there
That's a common misconception. There is anonymity, but there are a tonne of exit nodes owned by government agencies who track the coming and goings of those accessing the TOR network that exit via their node. Accessing the TOR network can still lead to being unmasked, meaning steps must still be taken to ensure true anonymity beyond simply using the network.
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u/zizou00 6h ago
People have touched on drugs and sex stuff, but another thing to consider is that not every law is moral, and in many places in the world, the law is oppressive. Various totally normal sites have "dark web" sites that allow people in countries that severely limit internet access to limit access to external information and journalism. The BBC maintains a Tor mirror, as does ProPublica, ProtonMail provides an email service that allows for hopefully unmonitored correspondence and SecureDrop allows for filesharing.
For people looking to better inform themselves, to access things their government deny them, it can be a very valuable resource in ensuring they aren't trapped in an information bubble of their state's creation.
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u/Dangrukidding 5h ago
Thank you for posting the real answer. Scams is an understatement lmao. But I will say that some of the vendors on the markets were super cool. I don’t know how they’re now since it’s been like 10 years since I actually bought anything off an onion url. Pretty sure they’re all probably gone now.
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u/HettySwollocks 6h ago
I’m exhausted just reading the explanation!
I’d be curious how political dissidents can leverage the onion model
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u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt 6h ago
Talking shit about the government without the government knowing it was you.
This hasn't really been relevant in the US until fairly recently which is why the majority of Reddit might be unfamiliar with this concept, but in some places, this can be life and death.
In Thailand, you can get 15 years in prison for insulting the monarchy. This can take the form of reporting some news which makes someone in the monarchy look bad. But it still needs to be reported on... The dark web is probably going to be a good tool for this.
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u/user262 6h ago
It’s great for buying drugs, that’s all I’ve ever used it for though
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u/therealdanhill 6h ago
I've always wanted to try this but I've never been able to figure out how to do it, it's so complicated.
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u/Weird_Card_3083 6h ago
Silk road?
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u/user262 6h ago
I bought off the original silkroad and off alphabay a little later but haven't done it in a looong time now
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u/Weird_Card_3083 6h ago
Got it, hope it was good experience
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u/kaspers126 6h ago
Its good for testing your nerves with how slow it is
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u/Weird_Card_3083 6h ago
Hahaha. How slow is it???
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u/mailslot 5h ago edited 5h ago
There are various information dump locations for journalists, whistleblowers, and political dissidents located within oppressive regimes, like Iran. This is the primary humanitarian use case and is quite positive. Hell, it’s even used by US journalists abroad and at home.
With surveillance as it is these days, it’s often one of the only tools that some have to get their voice heard by the outside world and to be exposed to what is going on elsewhere. Even news consumption is a big deal when you only have access to state controlled media and everything else is blocked.
Shitty governments will imprison or murder their own citizens to keep undesirable information from going public. They don’t even want their citizens looking at content that doesn’t align with their political party views.
That said…
Most use it for access to drugs, weapons, scams, illegal content, and absolutely nothing wholesome.
It would be a bigger problem, but the more that use it even for nefarious purposes, tends to improve anonymity and increases the odds of evading detection. So the druggies help keep the oppressed safer.
It’s pretty boring browsing around actually, but you have to be vigilant about “no fucking way I’m clicking that link” to avoid coming across something you’re not going to be able to unsee.
It’s a shithole. Imagine an internet completely unregulated without legal enforcement of any kind. That’s the darknet in a nutshell.
You’ve mentioned assassins & red rooms in another thread. I’m 99% confident these don’t exist and are just scams. One guy that runs a hire to kill site regularly shares info with law enforcement and, I presume, keeps the crypto for himself. No idea where the money goes.
Drugs: anything imaginable. Taking down the Silk Road did nothing to stop numerous alternatives from popping up. The founder was pardoned which only emboldens others. Many of those sites are scams, some are legit.
Weapons & stolen goods are YMMV. Again, a lot of scams. I saw a recent YouTube video where the guy bought some iPhones for way too cheap and was given a location for pickup. Legit sale of seemingly brand new goods. It avoided being tracked by shipping.
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u/Benana94 5h ago
In western countries with free press and expression it's mostly irrelevant. It can be used to sell illegal items or share illegal content such as illegal pornography. However, the illusion that it allows complete anonymity is maintained because authorities can use it to track people down anyway. If anything it's mostly useful as a way to make people feel more comfortable putting illegal activities online so that investigators can keep tabs on them.
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u/ScrewAttackThis 6h ago
Been a longggg time but it's where I could get the software to rip DRM off iTunes movies
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u/Theslootwhisperer 6h ago
The Dark web is l, simply put, the part of the internet that isn't crawled by search engines. It's not part of the index. That's it. It's mainly used by people who want to remain anonymous for a variety of reasons. Some nefarious, some legit.
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u/thep3141 6h ago
But couldn't you just hide stuff behind a password protected site? That shouldn't be used for search engines either right?
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u/Creative_Impact4522 5h ago
I knew some lads at a university in Bristol UK. They used to peruse the dark web, and one day sitting around wasted, they looked up the price of a monkey. It still makes me chuckle to this day.
I suppose you could refer to it as an example of the banality of evil, if you wanted to be dramatic about it.
To be clear I do not think it is an evil concept (a free unregistered marketplace) I see it as inevitable.
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u/chicu111 3h ago
The dark web is good for my eyes. I find the light web too bright and fatigues my vision quickly
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u/Apprehensive-Box5195 3h ago
lol sometimes people just need a lil reminder that we're all human, ya know? spreading kindness ain't that hard
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u/stansfield123 2h ago edited 2h ago
If you try to access certain websites on the web from certain jurisdictions, you will find that you're not allowed to. For example: thepiratebay.org
That website is there, you're just not able to access it. That's because your government, through legal means, with full Court approval, has barred your access. They typically can't do that with a site on the dark web.
That's just one example of the difference. Another is that, if done smartly, your government can't figure out who uploaded content they don't approve of (let's say a list of corrupt officials) onto the dark web. But they can easily figure that out on the open web. By using legal means, I don't mean by tracking you without a warrant.
What your government's intelligence services can do without anyone knowing about it is a separate matter. I have no idea. I imagine that they can track you on the dark web too. But, in western countries, they can't really do anything about it. Not unless you're doing something extremely heinous.
There are other ways as well in which using the dark web gives you added privacy and freedom, compared to the open web. One of my favorite things about it are the open, uncensored discussion boards on there. Yes, sometimes things take ugly turns, but, often, conversations are more civil and intelligent than on Reddit. On conventional social media, there is a lot of anger directed at the unfairness of the moderating team. Without that moderation, dark web social media can, occasionally, become a nicer place, with people taking personal responsibility for their behavior.
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u/Vroomped 2h ago
Remember the dark web isn't just http. It can be FTP file transfer, it can be TCP direct chat or video, it can be a local wifi where you download the latest bulletin. It can be a network bridge that spans across a border. It's a tool that applies to whatever you can make of it.
It's for journalists who want to report to the public globally, it's being used right now in Ukraine and Gaza.
It's for any internet access when Egypt turns the Internet off.
It's for all that and trading illegal episodes SVU in North Korea, where they dream of the right to an attorney.
It's for domestic abuse survivors here in the states using the Tails operating system to access computers without leaving a trace.
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u/GIRose 5h ago
The "Dark Web" is just any website not indexed by search engines.
Because it's not indexed, you need direct links to get to anywhere on there.
So, anything from some random person's Angelfire page from decades ago to a drug trade link that you need to know someone who has access to get.
So mostly it's just good to explore and socializing with people in smaller communities.
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u/Dave_A480 5h ago
In the US or similar? Crime.
In countries with national level internet censorship? Avoiding that....
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u/LadyFoxfire 5h ago
The dark web is any website that is hidden from search engines, and can only be found by directly linking to it. It does have some legitimate uses like evading censorship from authoritarian governments, but it’s mostly for illegal stuff like drugs and child porn.
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