Tor browser supports V3 onion domains for accessing Dark Web URLs after it rolled out its latest software. The update changed the look and work of the .onion domains. New V3 domains are longer and more complex to provide more anonymity. Read in further to know more.
What Are V3 Onion Domains?
V3 Onion services are the upgraded version of the Tor domains. Tor V3 onion services also known as Tor hidden V3 services are anonymous and segregated Tor networks which provides more security, privacy, and cryptographic protocols.
The new V3 Tor domains are 56 characters long and are more secure than the previous domains including the V2 onion domains which were 16 characters long. In 2020 and 2021 Tor replaced the V2 domain with V3 and since then the V3 domains have been used.
5 Key Features Of V3 Onion Domains
The Key features of the new V3 dark web network and onion services are:
- Security: The new V3 domains work on cryptographic algorithms. This includes both the Ed25519 key generation curve and the hash function SHA3-256. These new improvements give more security and protection.
- Longer Onion Domain Address: V3 addresses are longer and more complex and are 56 characters long with a public key of 56-byte. In comparison, the previous V2 addresses were 16 characters long and contained base 32-encoded addresses.
- More Anonymity: When using V3 services, you have enhanced security and anonymity. The V3 onion services also provide more resistance against attacks and make it difficult for others to track and identify the hidden services.
- Offline Keys: V3 onion domains make offline keys. The keys are then used by users for their hidden offline services, as they upload the offline key on the Tor network. Separation between the offline and online keys provides more security and this way the risk of key exposure is also reduced.
- Client Authorization: V3 domains are more flexible when it comes to client authorization. Hidden service operators create authorization keys specific to clients, allowing access to only authorized clients. Through this feature, better control over service access is enabled.
Benefits Of Transitioning To V3 Onion Domains
The benefits of the Version 3 onion domains are in terms of privacy, security, and anonymity.
- The V3 onion sites on the deep web provide protection against data monitoring and diminish the risk of being monitored by hackers or government agencies. This feature is of huge benefit to people living in countries that have strict internet censorship policies. It is also helpful for journalists writing on sensitive topics and for whistleblowers to convey information anonymously.
- Third parties cannot trace the destination or origin of the data as V3 uses onion routing to provide resistance to tracking. This enhances the privacy and reduces the risk of being tracked.
- Some V3 deep web websites are inaccessible on the surface webs and can only be accessible through the tor onion addresses. Such websites contain sensitive and censored information and services that may be banned in your region.
Despite the benefits that the transition provides, you should always be careful while accessing V3 onion domains on the Deep web and dark web. You could face some serious legal actions if you are caught engaging in illegal activities on the Dark Web.
What Happened To The Old V2 Domains?
The shift to the V3 onion domains after the 15-year-long service of V2 domains was a hard thing and took a good amount of time. The V2 domains were deprecated by Tor in the year 2021 and the websites shifted to the V3 domains. but the main question that arises is what happened to the sites having V2 domains. The sites having V2 domain after the depreciation time were phased out of the network and are not accessible on the Tor, but they are likely to exist somewhere.
Final Thoughts
We hope that now you have a better understanding of what the V3 onion domains exactly are and why the Tor browser uses them for security reasons. It is also important to keep in mind that however safe and secure these browsers are, performing illegal activities can land you in great trouble.