The Hidden Wiki FAQ: 32 questions, answered

The complete reference appears in the homepage address panel, with copy and open controls. We use “zqktl…” as a readable shorthand in the text, but that prefix is not a usable address. Copy the full URL, including the onion suffix, and compare the entire hostname if you obtained another copy elsewhere.

The address panel identifies the external wiki discussed by this publication. Its presence is an address record, not a report that the service is currently reachable. For the distinction between hostname and page path, read the full address record.

Proton’s published guide associates this hostname with the original version. That supports explaining why readers connect it with the original wiki. An official succession would need different evidence, such as a documented migration or handover from the earlier operators.

We have not independently established that chain. A content copy can survive a change of administrators, and administrators can move a project while changing its content. The history guide treats content continuity and operator continuity separately instead of treating either as settled by a familiar design.

A 2006 founding has not been established by the sources reviewed here. We can point to a contemporary Tor mailing-list message dated 1 June 2007 that mentions the Hidden Wiki. This sets a documented point by which the name was in use; it is not a launch announcement.

To support an earlier date, a source would need to date the project itself. A later page repeating “since 2006” would be a claim to investigate. Likewise, a modern v3 address cannot by itself demonstrate what an early wiki contained.

A shared name does not establish a shared publisher. A site might be a guide about the wiki, a copy of earlier content, a separately maintained directory, or a claimed successor. Look for an explicit relationship and evidence supporting it, rather than assuming that similar names describe the same service.

A numbered domain or a high search position does not resolve that question. Identify the exact destination, read the ownership statement, and check the source for any historical claim. This field guide identifies one reference and explains its limits; it does not claim authority over every website using the name.

For Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, the Tor Project installation guide covers Tor Browser. Our download page separates those platforms and labels the release-specific files and app-store routes.

For iPhone and iPad, Tor Project recommends Onion Browser; there is no official Tor Browser for iOS. Follow the iOS publisher’s current setup instructions and read Tor’s platform notes, since the protections are not identical to desktop Tor Browser. An app using the word “Tor” in its name should not be assumed to come from the Tor Project.

No. Tor Browser for Android is the Tor Project’s browser and includes Tor connectivity. Orbot is a separate Guardian Project application that can route supported app traffic through Tor. It is available for Android and iOS, with features and setup depending on the platform.

The distinction matters when choosing a tutorial: instructions for selecting apps in Orbot are not instructions for using Tor Browser. If your goal is browsing on Android, begin with the Tor Browser download. Consult Orbot’s own documentation when you specifically need its app-routing function.

An onion service is reached through Tor. An ordinary browser without Tor connectivity cannot open it simply because a website offers a clickable link. On supported desktop systems or Android, copy the URL and open it in Tor Browser after connecting.

Check which application actually receives the click: your device may send links to its normal default browser. A failure there does not establish that the onion service is offline. The publisher’s first-launch instructions explain the connection step.

Read the exact error. In Tor’s onion-service documentation, an invalid-address message points to checking the entered URL; a not-found or disconnected message can indicate an offline service; a timeout or busy-service message can justify trying later. A single failed request does not establish a permanent shutdown.

Compare the complete hostname before changing it. If the browser says authentication is required, this field guide cannot supply access credentials. Do not assume an unrelated “replacement” is the same service just because the original link is unavailable. We have not run a live availability test of this wiki.

The older v2 address format is no longer supported on today’s Tor network. The Tor Project’s 2021 transition announcement explains the move away from v2 services. A modern v3 onion hostname has a different format; changing the length of an old string does not produce its replacement.

A successor address should come from a documented publisher announcement or another traceable record. Keep the address transition separate from the historical question: migration to a new format can be genuine, but the format itself does not prove that two wikis have the same operators.

The direct file buttons are labeled with the version reviewed for this site. They point to specific files and do not automatically change when Tor publishes a newer release. The adjacent official release-page links provide a route to the publisher’s current options and other supported builds.

If the publisher lists a newer release, follow its current download and update instructions. Report a stale file link through Contact & corrections with the page URL and button label. A link being downloadable is a different check from confirming that it is the newest recommended release.

It establishes a text comparison against this page’s configured reference. The tool checks expected characters and length, then compares the full hostname. It does not validate the onion cryptographic checksum, contact the service, inspect files, or identify the operator.

Use the result for the narrow task it answers: did I copy the same hostname? If the result reports a different character, return to the source and check the copy. If it reports a match, the separate questions about the reference’s history and the destination’s contents still remain.

The hostname identifies the service, while the part after it can identify a page within that service. A query can further change the requested view, and a fragment can point to a section of the page. Our comparison reports extra URL parts separately instead of silently calling the entire URLs identical.

For example, the site root and a path ending in /wiki/index.php/Main_Page can share a hostname. The tool has not checked whether either page exists or where a server may redirect it. Review the complete URL when the destination page matters, not just the hostname result.

The homepage includes a Tor bridge video linked by the Tor Project and an Onion Browser playlist linked by Guardian Project. The publisher source and date appear beside each resource, so you can check where it came from. The iOS playlist describes version 2.6 from 2020 and is explicitly historical.

They are useful for their stated topics, but neither is presented as a complete current walkthrough for every platform. We did not verify a current official Orbot video. The tutorial guide pairs the resources with current documentation and explains what to do when the interface differs.

The page initially shows a local placeholder. Choose “Load YouTube lesson” to contact YouTube and create the player. If JavaScript is disabled, use the visible YouTube or publisher link instead.

If playback still fails, embedding restrictions, regional availability, or the player connection may be involved. Open the publisher source for the resource’s context and use the written documentation alongside it. The site’s text and comparison instructions remain available without loading a player; a blocked video does not prevent you from reading the guide.

The hostname comparison runs in your browser and does not submit or persist the pasted value. The setup checklist also keeps its selection and progress in the current page only. Reloading resets those controls; printing creates a copy through your own browser or device.

External links and optional YouTube playback create separate connections when you use them. Those destinations have their own privacy practices. The privacy page explains the site features and the distinction between local controls, ordinary hosting requests, and third-party services.

This is an independent educational publication, separate from the Tor Project, Guardian Project, Proton, and the onion wiki referenced here. Citing their work identifies a source; it does not imply their endorsement or give this site control over their services.

Use Contact & corrections for the published editorial contact. Include the affected page, the statement or link at issue, and a public source supporting your correction. The editorial method explains the evidence expected for future directory entries and historical claims.

The press record includes descriptions of the directory and commentary about interventions on pages using its name. Our reading room gives article dates, genres, and links so you can read the original reporting in context. An article can be evidence that a name or activity was described at that time. It is a much weaker basis for certifying today’s operator or current address. For that question, look for a source that actually identifies the current service.

A takeover describes a change in control or content; the phrase alone does not identify who acted or under what authority. A law-enforcement seizure is a specific kind of action that should be supported by an identifiable official record. An outage is an observation of availability and establishes less still. When a source uses one term, do not quietly replace it with another to make the timeline sound more dramatic.

No such conclusion follows from the records presented in this guide. A connection would require evidence naming the relevant wiki or address. The law-enforcement page distinguishes official records about named services from Tor’s contemporaneous response. It also separates an observed enforcement result from a claimed technical explanation. The absence of a demonstrated connection should remain visible rather than being filled with an assumption.

No. A wiki-style directory organizes references to other websites. A marketplace offers transactions within a separate service. One publication mentioning or linking another does not make them the same organization. This distinction matters when reading old news: a statement about a named marketplace should remain attached to that marketplace. Using “the dark web” as shorthand for both can blur the subject of a legal or historical claim.

Legal rules are jurisdiction-specific and may distinguish access, possession, distribution, and transactions. A directory label does not resolve those distinctions. If a real decision depends on legality, identify the place and the precise activity and consult current local law or qualified advice. This guide supplies historical and technical context; it does not maintain a worldwide legal-status table or promise that a particular destination is permissible everywhere.

They describe different procedural events. A charging announcement sets out an allegation; a later judgment or other disposition has its own record and date. Repeating a historical announcement as if it states the present outcome can mislead readers. In this guide, case notes retain their event type and publication date. A detailed account of later proceedings would need additional sources rather than an assumption about how the case ended.

A screenshot preserves an image, not the identity of whoever placed it online. It can also lose the surrounding URL, timestamp, or publication context. To support an enforcement claim, look for a corresponding agency or court record identifying the service. To support an ordinary historical claim, ask who captured the image and what the capture included. The same habit improves both legal reporting and research into older wiki pages.

Services can move, and software formats can change. The history guide discusses the Tor protocol transition and why an old hostname is not interchangeable with a modern one. A changed address does not by itself disprove continuity, but continuity still needs a source connecting the two services. The useful question is what documents the migration, rather than whether the new string looks sufficiently old or familiar.

An archive can document captured content, including any operator statements it preserves. It does not automatically verify those statements or establish who controls a service today. Content continuity and operator continuity are distinct. To assess the former, compare dated material; to assess the latter, look for an attributable handover or other relevant project record. Private identity speculation is not needed to explain a public publication’s documented history.

This guide does not establish such a connection. A company’s own account of its email service and a guide it publishes about onion sites are different sources. Neither should be turned into a claim that it runs every site it mentions. Our publisher reading room keeps those roles separate and links to the relevant articles. Names in a reference list identify sources, not business partnerships.

The publisher’s own explanation is the right starting point because it identifies the goal of that particular service. Reading access and confidential source submissions are also different tasks, even when they belong to the same newsroom. The reading room includes first-party announcements and a SecureDrop overview. Use them to understand the intended purpose, then consult current publisher instructions for the destination you actually need.

They address different communication settings. SecureDrop’s project overview describes software news organizations can operate to receive confidential tips and documents. Proton Mail is an email service. Choosing between communication channels requires understanding the recipient’s published instructions and the particular task; the presence of Tor in a description does not make all channels equivalent. This site introduces the distinction and directs readers to the publishers’ own explanations.

Yes. The references in the history, law-enforcement, and reading-room pages are ordinary web publications. You can inspect the named sources without opening the wiki address. This is useful if your goal is historical research, evaluating a claim, or learning why publishers use privacy infrastructure. Opening an onion destination is a separate action, and this guide does not need to perform that action to present its public source record.

The illustrated lesson covers in this release are served with the site’s own assets; they are not video screenshots. A player is created only when you choose its load button; using a YouTube link also opens that external service. The visible source name and date remain outside the player so you can judge the lesson’s relevance before playback. A historical tutorial is labeled as historical even when its preview looks polished.

The chapters play in a three-second loop while the Time Machine is in view. Use Pause autoplay to read, then Play autoplay to resume. Choosing a chapter pauses the loop. With reduced motion enabled, it waits for you to start playback.

Move along the timeline to explore five dated moments. The scene changes with each stop: an early reference, a later wiki iteration, an email-service launch, the address-format transition, and a later attribution. Source links sit beside the story. The address animation illustrates a format change; it does not reconstruct an actual migration. Without JavaScript, the same chapters remain readable in sequence.

A dated launch record could improve the founding history. An attributable migration statement could connect old and new addresses. A preserved revision history could document which content continued. These would resolve different questions, so a good correction should specify the claim it changes. Send a public source and a short explanation through the corrections page. Repetition across copied directories is less useful than one record that bears directly on the question.