You’re right I was referring to onion sites for sure. I’ve accessed clearnet sites on it and yes they work just fine.
I’m not a complete neophyte and have explored a wee bit. I know of hidden wikis, can access onions that are easy to find etc and can even manage to get into chats every now and then if the site is functional.
Where I need guidance is there’s so many hurdles I’m experiencing that feel overwhelming for just one person. Things like which search engine to use? I’ve tried every one I could find and the results are often just advertisements or untrustworthy. Simple sites that seem to work for others bug up and don’t have functionality. I’d like to join forums but some require email addresses and with trying to be safe and not catch malware I’ve no idea which email provider to use.
Would like to use chat rooms but many don’t work, I spent idk how long just trying to find a chat room I could even log into and when I finally found one it was dead, or full of bots I can’t remember.
Would just be nice to find something interesting there, seems like there would be all kinds of cool things but there’s just no way I can trust any of these sites myself. Let’s say if I wanted to buy some weed, which I quit smoking but let’s say I did, how could I ever tell which sites are legit? Searching for them? Every result looks like a mr smiley virus or whatever it’s called about to happen lol.
Security? So much conflicting information, to use or not use a VPN? Sure, use one to add another layer between your IP and provider but oh, wait, what if your VPN provider isn’t reliable? Some say use TOR by itself, some say Tails, some have a long list. Jesus Christ haha that alone is just more time than I have to pour in as of now.
Makes me want to give up, and I have a few times but I love the concept so much I keep coming back. The entire “clearnet” just feels like an uncurates advert/data grab to me, it doesn’t feel authentic. It’s not real to me anymore.
I actually really miss the days of early nineties internet (sometimes) as it just felt real. Felt like the wild west. Random user generated websites like rotten etc.
Nowadays forums are too political, everything is too censored, it all just seems like watching a movie that I’m not in.
You’re making the typical newbie mistake of looking for crystal-clear one-size-fits-all universal advice. In practice, it all depends. Different tools provide different benefits while making different trade-offs. If you don’t know whether you need Tails, read up on what Tails is and what it aims to achieve. Some people may benefit from a VPN (often for the same reasons they may benefit from a bridge), and for others it’s pointless (but never harmful IMNSHO).
Don’t rely on the advice of strangers on the internet. Real security comes from understanding your specific situations and the tools available to you.
I know this answer fricking sucks and doesn’t help you, but anonymity is hard. If you don’t feel like you have any specific personal situation you need to evaluate tools against, just install Tor Browser on the computer you are currently using and be happy – it works and is designed to meet most regular needs.
You’re right I was referring to onion sites for sure. I’ve accessed clearnet sites on it and yes they work just fine.
I’m not a complete neophyte and have explored a wee bit. I know of hidden wikis, can access onions that are easy to find etc and can even manage to get into chats every now and then if the site is functional.
Where I need guidance is there’s so many hurdles I’m experiencing that feel overwhelming for just one person. Things like which search engine to use? I’ve tried every one I could find and the results are often just advertisements or untrustworthy. Simple sites that seem to work for others bug up and don’t have functionality. I’d like to join forums but some require email addresses and with trying to be safe and not catch malware I’ve no idea which email provider to use.
Would like to use chat rooms but many don’t work, I spent idk how long just trying to find a chat room I could even log into and when I finally found one it was dead, or full of bots I can’t remember.
Would just be nice to find something interesting there, seems like there would be all kinds of cool things but there’s just no way I can trust any of these sites myself. Let’s say if I wanted to buy some weed, which I quit smoking but let’s say I did, how could I ever tell which sites are legit? Searching for them? Every result looks like a mr smiley virus or whatever it’s called about to happen lol.
Security? So much conflicting information, to use or not use a VPN? Sure, use one to add another layer between your IP and provider but oh, wait, what if your VPN provider isn’t reliable? Some say use TOR by itself, some say Tails, some have a long list. Jesus Christ haha that alone is just more time than I have to pour in as of now.
Makes me want to give up, and I have a few times but I love the concept so much I keep coming back. The entire “clearnet” just feels like an uncurates advert/data grab to me, it doesn’t feel authentic. It’s not real to me anymore.
I actually really miss the days of early nineties internet (sometimes) as it just felt real. Felt like the wild west. Random user generated websites like rotten etc.
Nowadays forums are too political, everything is too censored, it all just seems like watching a movie that I’m not in.
Sorry to ramble.
You’re making the typical newbie mistake of looking for crystal-clear one-size-fits-all universal advice. In practice, it all depends. Different tools provide different benefits while making different trade-offs. If you don’t know whether you need Tails, read up on what Tails is and what it aims to achieve. Some people may benefit from a VPN (often for the same reasons they may benefit from a bridge), and for others it’s pointless (but never harmful IMNSHO).
Don’t rely on the advice of strangers on the internet. Real security comes from understanding your specific situations and the tools available to you.
I know this answer fricking sucks and doesn’t help you, but anonymity is hard. If you don’t feel like you have any specific personal situation you need to evaluate tools against, just install Tor Browser on the computer you are currently using and be happy – it works and is designed to meet most regular needs.