For eligible documents, clicking Direct to Darknet from a search result or thread view will launch a secure sandbox environment which will take you to the original source of that document. Eligible documents include any live Onion V3 domain or clearnet domain from a DarkOwl Vision Search result.
You can safely interact with the site content, such as to solve a captcha. Downloading files from the darknet site is not supported. Some sites may require credentials. You can use your own established credentials to safely interact with the site content. Browsing is domain-locked to the site accessed from the search result. For more information, see our FAQ's below.
A site may not be active or online at the time you try to access it. The search result from DarkOwl Vision is persistent as it is stored by DarkOwl.
Note: If you use pop-up blockers, be sure to allow pop-ups from darkowl.com.
DarkOwl “Direct to Darknet” FAQ
What is "Direct to Darknet"?
Direct to Darknet allows you to—safely and securely—jump from a DarkOwl Vision search result directly to the live website, right from your browser, using a sandbox environment. It can be helpful for an investigation to view the original website, view images or advertisements that may be on the sites, take a screenshot for reporting, and more. Direct to Darknet uses the best-in-class Silo web isolation platform from Authentic8.
What content can I access through Direct to Darknet?
You can go to any live Onion V3 domain or clearnet domain from a DarkOwl Vision search result. Quickly access forums, marketplaces, and other Onion sites through the Direct to Darknet feature. For all supported sites, a Direct to Darknet menu button will appear.
Note: A site may not be active or online at the time you try to access it. Further, some sites may require solving a challenge or entering credentials to access past the initial page (See: The darknet site is asking me to log in or solve a challenge such as a captcha. Can you provide credentials? for additional information). The search result from DarkOwl Vision is persistent as it is stored by DarkOwl.
What are the parameters of use? Can I browse the darknet with it?
Browsing is domain-locked to the site accessed from the search result. Once you open a page on Direct to Darknet, you can browse within that specific site only. For example, you may start on a forum post, and then navigate to the user’s profile page on the site. In addition to viewing the site content, Direct to Darknet allows you to safely interact with the site content, such as to solve a captcha. Downloading files from the darknet site is not supported.
The darknet site is asking me to log in or solve a challenge such as a captcha. Can you provide credentials?
Darknet sites often require interaction or credentials for access. You can securely interact with the site to solve captchas or other challenge-response tests, or enter your own established credentials. Unfortunately, we cannot share DarkOwl-managed credentials to access an authenticated site.
The site is taking a long time to load/isn't loading.
This is expected. The darknet is often very slow. We recommend waiting a minute or two in order to see if a site is just slow or whether the site is offline. If the site is offline, you will see some sort of error message, such as “Onionsite Not Found” or “The connection has timed out.”
Will I see images?
You will see everything that is on the live darknet site, which may include images.
What is the underlying technology for Direct to Darknet? How does it work?
Direct to Darknet leverages the best-in-class Silo web isolation platform from Authentic8, which eliminates the need to install and manage software, such as Tor nodes or browsers. The darknet site is accessed through the Silo web isolation platform, so your network and computer are never directly exposed to the original source code or any malicious code that may be running on a darknet site. Authentic8 holds the following certifications: FedRAMP, SOC2, PCI DSS, and HIPAA.
Can you see my darknet activity? What are you logging?
Related to Direct to Darknet, DarkOwl logs the following for up to 90 days:
- Usage (number of times you click Direct to Darknet)
- The URL of the Direct to Darknet link clicked
Note: Your Darknet activity is not viewed by anyone at DarkOwl under normal circumstances, additional review would only be conducted by a member of the DarkOwl compliance team if there is cause.
Authentic8 logs are fully encrypted, and DarkOwl has the only key and access to them. They are stored for up to 90 days. These logs include the following user information:
- The initial domain and full URL accessed, and any subsequent URLs accessed in that session
- Any data input during interactions with the site (i.e. captcha solving, credentials)
- The IP address of the user accessing Direct to Darknet
Note: DarkOwl account names and details are never passed to Authentic8.
Important Note: Your current browser history will log URLs accessed during your Authentic8 session. All content is accessed from within the sandboxed Authentic8 session, which will be evident by the preface of a8silo.com in the history (e.g. https://a8silo.com/tab/5zuu/#http://XXXXX.onion/). These URLs are not accessible during a non-Authentic8 Session. Notwithstanding, we recommend clearing your browser history after each session, or initiating the session using Private/Incognito browsers.