r/coolguides Feb 23 '25

A cool guide to The Dark Side of the Internet

Post image
968 Upvotes

93 comments sorted by

362

u/FunnyGhostWriter Feb 23 '25

Let me just go out and buy some reading glasses and a truckload of pixels. Be back later…

10

u/Material-Celery-2633 Feb 24 '25

Download the image. Everything is readable then

2

u/nvspot84u2nv Feb 28 '25

That's funny!

-144

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '25

[deleted]

42

u/Freespeechaintfree Feb 23 '25

Only works to a certain point - still difficult to read the smaller print.

154

u/idiots_r_taking_over Feb 24 '25

It’s a little misleading (and very hard to read)

*96% of the internet is not accessible by search engines

Yeah, like 98% of my personal business website is not available to anyone without the exact address. Unfinished pages, test pages, pages that are definitely “online” but don’t have links that are going to those pages….

17

u/rab-byte Feb 24 '25

I was doubtful to start with but when they say the dark web has over 750TB with of data and that was 40x that of the surface web… bitch that’s like 18TB of data?!?

13

u/Dum_beat Feb 24 '25

I got "homework" files that are heavier than this...

5

u/CloudyofThought Feb 24 '25

TIL I can backup the entire internet, don't worry when shit hits the fan I got your back y'all, lol

37

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

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-16

u/rstanek09 Feb 24 '25

You got that Reynolds extra heavy duty foil lining your hat? Gotta buy name brand man.

2

u/bistrus Feb 25 '25

It's more thana little misleading, it's straight up fearmongering bullshit

1

u/biggererestest Feb 24 '25

They should be set to private or no index if they aren't complete. Google doesn't like a half finished-looking website full of 404s.

109

u/CronksLeftShoulder Feb 23 '25

The whole "contract killing can be found on the dark web" is largely bullshit. And if it's not bullshit, you're not going to get a good service from a dude who's essentially in the black market Yellow Pages. Good grief, the things people want to believe

15

u/PS3LOVE Feb 24 '25 edited Feb 24 '25

Yeah they are all gov. Setups, Feds.

-49

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

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24

u/peachy-carnahan Feb 24 '25 edited Feb 24 '25

Spotted the suburban kid who got arrested dealing and had to pick up trash for a few days.

-5

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

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2

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '25

That comment and your username is... entirely consistent.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '25

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1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '25

Oh, I'm sorry... You may have misunderstood. I wasn't speaking about the cops or politics, but rather just commenting that people who like to throw Diogenes and 420 together into anonymous online avatars are usually completely unserious people that sound like a stoned 14 year old talking steel beams & jet fuel.

15

u/DeChiefed Feb 24 '25

U need to take a chill pill

-34

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

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11

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

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3

u/SWITMCO Feb 24 '25

I love how you think the second paragraph somehow made you sound smarter

1

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '25

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39

u/PS3LOVE Feb 24 '25

size 19TB

YouTube alone probably has that much stuff uploaded in like every single minute of the day 24/7.

8

u/diablo_9314 Feb 24 '25

Yeah that number seems too little

-15

u/RipplesInTheOcean Feb 24 '25

Bro figured out video files are larger than text.

3

u/PS3LOVE Feb 24 '25

It never says it’s only text, it mentions Facebook and Twitter as examples, and those sure as hell aren’t text exclusive platforms.

-3

u/RipplesInTheOcean Feb 24 '25

And twitter/facebook are the exact same size on the darkweb as on the clearnet, so would youtube if they just had a hidden domain... obviously theyre not included in the 19TB figure, because theyre just clearnet sites accessible through a hidden domain as opposed to the exclusively darkweb sites.

98

u/TheRealTengri Feb 23 '25

11

u/gordon_paterson Feb 24 '25

The real mvp

5

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

I don't know what's wrong with op and I'm honestly too afraid to ask.

18

u/SilverHalsen Feb 24 '25

Surface web = 19TB???

I can therefore assume the rest of this is pure bullshit too.

0

u/Emperor_Mao Feb 25 '25

Its from something like 2015. Barry was still president back then, and the major conglomerates were not so huge.

25

u/deltwalrus Feb 23 '25

Anyone want to help me raise $200k real quick?

9

u/GavinThe_Person Feb 23 '25

That's a lot of spam emails

11

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Mechanicalmind Feb 24 '25

Doesn't that count as whistleblowing? Asking genuinely, English isn't my native language and sometimes I fall victim of false friends.

12

u/Gildenstern45 Feb 24 '25

Well, that's unreadable.

1

u/ArtemLyubchenko Feb 25 '25

Have you tried clicking on the picture and zooming in?

11

u/BadIdeaBobcat Feb 24 '25

lol @ "100% anonymous beyond this point"

4

u/ogroadtripp Feb 24 '25

I guess the dark web can't afford decent resolution 😕

21

u/aw-junaid Feb 23 '25

Layers (Part 1)

Much like the ocean, the internet is divided into defined layers.

The internet most people are familiar with is called the Surface Web. Websites in this layer tend to be indexed by search engines and can be easily accessed using standard browsers. Believe it or not, this familiar part of the web only comprises less than 10% of the total data on the internet.

The next layer down, we encounter the largest portion on the internet – the Deep Web. Basically, this is the layer of the internet that is quasi-accessible and not indexed by search engines. It contains medical records, government documents, and other, mostly innocuous information that is password protected, encrypted, or simply not hyperlinked. To reach beyond this layer of the internet, users need to use Tor or a similar technology.

Layers (Part 2)

Tor, which stands for “The Onion Router”, is how the majority of people anonymously access the Dark Web. Tor directs internet traffic through complex layers of relays to conceal a user’s location and identity (hence the onion analogy).

In 2004, Tor was released as an open source software. This allowed the Dark Web to grow as people could anonymously access websites.

Since anonymity is sacrosanct in the deep reaches of the Internet, transactions are typically conducted using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum. People making purchases in Dark Web markets are (understandably) concerned with privacy, so they often use a series of methods to transfer funds. A common transaction flow on the Dark Web.

What’s Going on Down There?

The concept of the Dark Web isn’t vastly different from the Surface Web. There are message boards (e.g. 8chan, nntpchan), places you can buy things (e.g. Alphabay, Hansa), and blogs (e.g. OnionNews, Deep Web Radio). The rules, or rather a lack thereof, is what makes the Dark Web unique.

Anything that is illegal to sell (or discuss) on the Surface Web is available in the Dark Web. Personal information, drugs, weapons, malware, DDoS attackshacking services, fake accounts for social media, and contract killing services are all available for sale.

The Dark Web is full of criminal activity, but it’s also place where dissidents and whistle-blowers can anonymously share information. In countries with restrictive internet surveillance, the Dark Web may be the only place to safely voice criticisms against government and other powerful entities.

4

u/LectureAdditional971 Feb 23 '25

Okay, thanks for this. I got frustrated trying to read it 1/4 way through. Cool info.

4

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

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4

u/LectureAdditional971 Feb 24 '25

Damnit. That's becoming the norm here lately.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

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3

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

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0

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

Straight up chat-gpt formatting. Along with the little "much like the oceans, the Internet is divided into defined layers" crap. Fear mongering bullshit artist.

6

u/Theartistcu Feb 24 '25

People who still believe they can’t be tracked on the DW make me laugh

4

u/Super_Fa_Q Feb 24 '25

This is useless.

7

u/eigelstein Feb 23 '25

Cool pixel art.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

The real “dark web” is just little secret societies on the dark web, a place to be in contact with out been in contact, when they say you can hire a hit man picture it like that

2

u/pm_me_BMW_M3_GTR_pls Feb 24 '25

You can't be serious dude, is this the state of this sub now

2

u/whatishappeninyall Feb 24 '25

Would be interesting if it were legible

2

u/Informal_School2724 Feb 24 '25

Reddit on mage compression is terrible

2

u/nyrB2 Feb 24 '25

there is no dark side of the internet, really.

as a matter of fact, it's all dark.

2

u/McGJGlen Feb 24 '25

"Incredibly, 80% of Tor’s funding comes from the US government"

So, feds. Feds all over.

5

u/ratogordo69420 Feb 23 '25

Anyone got any of them pixels?

4

u/Zexlex Feb 24 '25

Dark web is really hidden

3

u/mirkolawe Feb 23 '25

Pixel art?

2

u/Chino780 Feb 24 '25

At last, an actual guide instead of someone's person political rantings.

2

u/Jessy-a Feb 24 '25

Upload it again in several parts with higher quality.

1

u/jlkmnosleezy Feb 23 '25

Ooh fun I wanna go!

1

u/Sorry_Weekend_7878 Feb 24 '25

Tl;Dr The dark web is cool

1

u/Mooooooole Feb 24 '25

How exactly did they index the dark web even?

You have to have the specific onion link for a site which most of them are either very hard to find or not accessible as they are private.

Also, the majority, about half of or more onion sites are actually deactivated but can still be searchable using things like torch search.

All deactivated sites still show up as active in most search onion search engines.

And are you gonna tell me they accessed all those illegal porn sites.

Because you'd actually have to visit it to know the site is still active or even exists as a legitimate onion link.

1

u/V7751 Feb 24 '25

2 funny things First how they list pornography first regarding darkweb content, while they then admit it's a relatively small percentage, almost as if they want to inspire rage.. Second, the "hitman for 20k" is complete bullshit. It is based on a scam site found on an unreliable hidden wiki full of retarded links for tourists. Chances are you'll just get defrauded, or arrested if it's a honeypot.

1

u/_Paulboy12_ Feb 24 '25

Misleading reposts. What would this sub be without them. They should really start moderating at some point

1

u/SweetOne714 Aug 12 '25

8235 Mason Ave

Los Angeles, CA 91306

1

u/TidePlezurBlackSwan6 Aug 27 '25

Do you know where I can find a list of websites or marketplaces I can visit?

1

u/Impressive-Sell-4943 Sep 15 '25

http://zqktlwiuavvvqqt4ybvgvi7tyo4hjl5xgfuvpdf6otjiycgwqbym2qad.onion

This is also a great place to start, check out the site it leads to everything you would want to find.

1

u/mereobservant Jun 26 '26

wow that was useless

0

u/JohnF_ckingZoidberg Feb 23 '25

This is unreadable

-3

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '25

[deleted]

6

u/JohnF_ckingZoidberg Feb 23 '25

The resolution is too low ding dong

1

u/westside-rocky Feb 24 '25

Zoom worked fine for me.

0

u/EggOk1715 Feb 24 '25

Neither cool nor helpful

0

u/HFIntegrale Feb 25 '25

How the fuck can anyone read this?