Hacker Culture A to Z

Chapter 4. D

Dark.Fail

Dark.Fail is a vital directory service on the Tor network. While Google has used google.com since 1998 and Amazon has used amazon.com since 1994, that sort of consistency and reliability is seldom seen on what many refer to as the Dark Web. Tor network domain names change frequently (sometimes multiple times a day), so Dark.Fail’s clearnet (the regular internet outside of the Dark Web) site, dark.fail, is a constantly updated directory of Dark Web URLs on the Tor network and I2P, the two most popular encrypted proxy networks.

The anonymizing nature of proxy networks makes them a popular medium for illegal activity. Dark.Fail lists many illegal darknet markets, but it also lists Tor websites for mainstream entities such as the New York Times, the BBC, and Facebook. In most countries outside of China, the Tor network and its accompanying browser are perfectly lawful, and so is simply visiting darknet markets. The moment you buy or sell illegal goods and services, that’s when you’ve broken the law.

See also “Dark Web/darknet”, “Invisible Internet Project (I2P)”, “Tor (The Onion Router)”

Dark Web/darknet

The darknet is a part of the internet that is only accessible through a particular proxy network, usually Tor or I2P. The web component of the darknet is called the Dark Web. For simplicity, all of the Dark Web is part of the darknet, but not all of the darknet is the Dark Web. In most of the world, it’s lawful to use the darknet as long as you’re not breaking ...