Serious question: Are there any legit reasons to be on darknets? Because I can't think of any reasons outside of doing illegal things and trying to catch the people doing those illegal things.
Just to be clear, I am not recommending all of you go test this theory for me. There's a lot of awful there, and you have to take certain steps to insulate yourself.
And some people doing regular legal stuff just to better hide the traffic of the above use case.
@voltronic Not everything illegal is wrong.
That said, my time spent exploring mostly found drug traders, carders, hackers, and then the really vile stuff.
@FreedomATX
That has been my experience.
@voltronic Media outlets have Tor addresses so that they can be available in countries where they are otherwise censored:
https://www.makeuseof.com/how-access-news-tor/
I suspect some trans people and others whose access to healthcare has been curtailed by fascists might also need access to seek medication. Such activity might be illegal but I personally don't consider it criminal.
@voltronic (with the normal disclaimer that seeking healthcare from anonymous sources on the Internet is a freaking terrible idea)
@researchbuzz
That's an extremely legit use I hadn't thought of. Thank you.
@voltronic About twenty years ago I had to illegally purchase contraceptives in Canada (the "sponges") because they weren't available in America and I couldn't tolerate other types of birth control.
I have never forgotten the amount of anxiety I had to go through *just to be responsible for my own reproductive health.*
I think kind thoughts for people who need medications and can't get them.
personally, zilch or less interest in anything i've heard about it. the dark alleys in big cities after midnight is my impression.
@voltronic shares content most likely journalists, I know there is an onion server that is only for Mexican journalists to share, also boot camps on hacking, but now I see more onion servers having link to the clear.
@voltronic wasn't the original use-case the dissident living in an oppressive regime who wanted to communicate with the outside world?
So--still illegal stuff, but not against any law worthy of respect.