Regular user of the dark web who reports content to FBI reveals what you will actually find on there
No matter how curious we might be about it, we all know that visiting the dark web is dancing with the devil.
It's the internet's murky underworld where censorship and rules essentially don't exist - but one quick browse could land you in big trouble with the law if you end up accessing any illegal content.
They don't say curiosity killed the cat for nothing, you know.
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But if you still have some strange desire to find out what it's like to surf the dark web, listen to what this regular user of the shadowy side of the internet had to say about it - and bare in mind that he spent five months researching it beforehand.
The anonymous Reddit user, who claims to be a voice actor by day, encouraged people to ask him anything they wanted to about his experiences on there.
He explained that he only uses the dark web to 'find things that he can't find on the Clear Net for fun' and does not participate in any dodgy practices - but he's pretty clued up on how it all works.
The bloke said he'd looked at chatrooms, found 'life survival tips' and 'radios to access stations from all over the world'—but he reminded people 'it is called dark for a reason'.
The social media user is also something of a Good Samaritan online, as he claimed that they report any 'illegal or exploitative' content they stumbles across to the FBI's anonymous tip line - adding that he's done this over 50 times so far.
Which says it all really, doesn't it?
What is on the dark web
They said: "I focus primarily on reporting exploitative/abusive content relating to animals and humans, no matter the age or species. These are things that I know a being is 100% being harmed, and I can have concrete proof of it.
"I don't bother with marketplaces selling drugs, guns, hitmen, etc. there are far too many of these, and anonymity is much easier to retain on these sites, so I can't get enough information to report them.
"I would like to be able to report everything, but I, as one human, physically can't."
He admitted that seeing something 'mundane' on the dark web is what surprises him at this point, as it's chock-a-block with warped websites - including some with 'actual human organs for sale'.
"I found a hacked CCTV livestream of a Walmart storage room one time, and I hung out there for a bit cause it was kinda cool," he explained before saying that you can 'find pretty much anything' on there.
Weird websites
The Redditor said there are some helpful information sources on the dark web, however, there is a 'sheer' number of people who are simply using it to access illegal or illicit stuff.
He said that shady sites tend to use 'creepy terminology' and literally spell out what they have on there in their names to 'attract as many vile customers as possible', so it's usually quite obvious what you are going to click onto.
"Which immediately leads to me copying the hyperlink and the actual name of the site, then reporting it to the FBI tip line," they continued.
Describing the stuff he has seen, he said there is an 'unfortunate amount of satanic or other cultist content' as well as murder, child abuse and other heinous crimes - so he takes precautions just in incase.
He wrote: "I do not click any links on websites that are not verified 'hidden wikis', as dark web users call them.
"However, whenever I close my window, I check all of my downloads and my hard drive to be sure nothing has been installed or downloaded without me knowing. I have never found anything, and likely won't."
Security measures
The Redditor confessed he has got quite an intense security setup so that he can protect himself while on the dark web, even covering up the camera's and microphones on his computer 'with tape or putty' just incase somebody gained access to it.
He also has a golden rule to keep safe on there too - but urged people not to bother taking a look if they don't have 'experience' and haven't done 'extensive research' beforehand.
He said: "NEVER, and I mean NEVER, share a single ounce of personal information on the dark web.
"This is anything from your age, to your country, to your race, to your pets name. Literally anything can be used against you or traced back to you.
"It can f**k you up so easily if you don't take breaks and take care of yourself.
"This is why I don't recommend or condone dark web usage to the average person, because a lot of people would make grave mistakes, or see things that push them past the edge of morals."
Topics: Technology, Weird, Reddit, Crime
Olivia Burke