Index
Preliminary Information
Before diving into this guide on how to access the Deep Web from your phone, I want to provide you with a complete overview of this “hidden” part of the web, along with the risks you may encounter while visiting certain resources belonging to it.
To start with, the Deep Web is the part of the Internet not indexed by search engines: this means, practically speaking, that you can’t access Deep Web sites through a search on Google or other similar platforms, as these portals are not detected by them, nor added to their databases.
For example, the Deep Web includes personalized pages accessed by entering usernames and passwords within a portal (e.g., your personal email inbox, your Facebook page, my website management area, etc.), as well as all web pages not detected by search engine crawlers because they are excluded from scanning by the web administrator’s choice.
To visit a site belonging to the Deep Web, you don’t need different tools from a common browser: however, you must know the exact address of the page of interest or enter the access credentials to view reserved content.
A different discussion applies to the Dark Web: by definition, it is the “dark” part of the Internet, where sensitive, delicate, or questionable legal resources are available.
While it’s true that the Dark Web can help you escape censorship imposed by certain states, allowing you to carry out your philanthropic/informational activities completely anonymously, it is also true that things happen in this area of the web that are on the edge of legality, such as the sale of fake documents, illegal substances, digital identities, and so on.
Unlike the Deep Web, the Dark Web is not accessible using the most commonly used tools for browsing the Internet. To glimpse what it holds, you need to rely on anonymization systems, such as Tor.
This system consists of a network designed to hide your IP address and identity by “bouncing” the connection between several computers assigned for this purpose, scattered across the globe. Deep/Dark Web sites ending with the .onion string, for example, can only be visited through the Tor network.
Contrary to what one might think, Tor is very easy to use, even on mobile: in the following sections of this tutorial, I will explain how to use a series of apps to access the Deep/Dark Web with minimal difficulty.
Make sure to pay close attention to the “virtual places” you’re about to visit, taking care to avoid all those sites dedicated to any kind of illegal activities. I remind you once more that I will not be held responsible for the improper use you may make of the tools I am about to present to you.
How to Access the Deep Web from Your Phone
Now that you have finally understood what the Deep Web and Dark Web are, it’s time to dive into the matter and understand how to access them through the Tor network. Before we start, I’d like to give you some tips to follow to browse correctly but, above all, safely.
- Do not use Google or other well-known search engines (like Bing) for searches, as you wouldn’t find material belonging to the Deep/Dark Web and risk being tracked.
- Do not use functions like JavaScript or other external plugins (e.g., those dedicated to content playback), as they could endanger your anonymity. If you use the Tor Browser, the NoScript function is already integrated to disable some scripts that could pose a threat to privacy.
- Avoid logging in to social networks, email, or other portals that could lead back to your identity.
- Do not install extensions, apps, or other materials through the dedicated browser.
- Do not open downloaded files before terminating browsing.
- Do not use Tor to download data from peer-to-peer networks, such as BitTorrent.
By following this conduct and using a bit of common sense, you should be able to browse the Tor network undisturbed and, above all, safe from prying eyes. Lastly, I want to warn you that accessing the Deep Web/Dark Web through the Tor network is not always fast. You may need to wait a few minutes for a single page to load: don’t worry, it’s entirely normal.
Android
Would you like to know how to use Tor on Android? Great, then I’m here to inform you that you can easily and quickly do it using the Tor Browser app. If your device does not have the Google Store, you can go to the official Tor website and download the app in .apk format.
Once you have downloaded and installed the app, open it and tap on the Connect button and choose whether to turn on the button next to Connect automatically so that the app connects to the Tor network automatically each time it starts.
At this point, wait for the connection to the network to be established. If you encounter any problems during this phase, it may be that your connection is subject to some restrictions (or perhaps you are using a VPN or a proxy), so tap the gear icon in the upper right corner and then follow the on-screen instructions to try to solve the problem.
After doing all this, I inform you that you are actually done fiddling around. At this point, you can start browsing online through the Tor network. To verify that the connection to the network is active, you can go to this Internet page and if you are notified that you are connected to the Tor network, then you have succeeded in your endeavor.
iPhone
If you use an iPhone (the procedures are also valid for iPad) and want to know how to access the Deep Web from iPhone, in this case, you can use two apps together that allow you to browse the Tor network with total safety and anonymity. These two apps are Onion Browser and Orbot.
With this in mind, start downloading the Onion Browser app. Once you have it, open it and tap the Next button. Now, you will be informed that the Onion Browser might “rely” on another app, namely **Orbot**, which functions as a VPN, to ensure a more secure connection to the Tor network. Nevertheless, I want to communicate that you could still browse the Tor network using only the Onion Browser, but of course, the connection would be less secure.
Therefore, my advice is to download the Orbot app. You can do this directly from the Onion Browser app screen by pressing Use Orbot, then Get Orbot, and subsequently downloading and installing the app from the Apple App Store.
At this point, open the Orbot app and tap on Install, then tap on Allow to configure Orbot as a VPN. If prompted, enter the passcode for your iPhone to authorize the operation.
Now, you should immediately find yourself on the main screen of the Orbot app, so tap the Start button and wait for a moment until the connection is established. Once that is done, return to the Onion Browser app, and at this point, the app should ask you for additional permissions to function. So press Request Access and then, on the Orbot screen, select the Grant option.
If everything has gone smoothly up to this point, you should finally be ready to use the Tor network on your device securely.
Finally, I want to tell you that once you have finished browsing using the Onion Browser, you can always turn off the VPN generated by Orbot. To do this, open the Orbot app and tap the Stop button.