Dread is a popular darknet forum for discussing news and developments related to darknet markets. The site’s admins are known as Paris and HugBunter. The site has been under DDoS attack lately from unknown individuals. This is not uncommon in the field of darknet markets, because many people from law enforcement to sellers and users have a vested interest in restricting information and access to such online marketplaces and URL’s.
The existence of such forums raises the question of whether they should be allowed or regulated. Fortunately, due to the nature of how the Tor browser works, such sights are extraordinarily difficult to remove. Because there is such demand for forums like Dread, it suggests that there is a huge number of people throughout the worlds who want the ability to discuss things anonymously without fearing that their info will be leaked to government agencies.
As you probably know, the “dark net” is only accessible via browsers like TOR. It’s often portrayed as a scary place where criminals can buy and sell drugs, weapons, and anything else you can imagine without fear of being caught. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular topics on Dread and see whether there is any truth to the stereotypes.
1. OpSec: this ‘subdread’ deals mainly with helping individuals maintain anonymity online. But one will also see examples of humanitarian interest such as helping users in Iran connect to messaging apps, sharing guides for online privacy and security, helping people discover trusted e-mail providers, and giving guidance about how to secure personal data.
2. HarmReduction: this forum is generally about providing guidance to individuals who are taking medication of various sorts to avoid harmful interactions, dosages, and sources. While some of the discussion verges into somewhat Gray areas, legally speaking, this is not true in every jurisdiction around the world. It is largely ad hoc advice given by persons with experience in various pharmaceuticals and other substances which may or may not be permissible in different parts of the world.
3. DarknetMarketsNoobs: this page relates to helping individuals who are new to the dark web with anything ranging from setting up Tor and tails, to a swaging paranoia, to discussing how to remain safe when buying or selling things in a darknet market, to issues with customs and cryptocurrency payments.
4. EnergyControl: this is the official page for a company who specializes in drug checking for cryptomarket users. They answer questions about how to ensure purchases are safe and reliable, or whether they are dangerous. Of course, this section of dread is much darker then some of the others with regard to content and is providing a valuable service but for substances which are almost always not permitted in most developed countries around the planet.
Conclusion:
Dread is located at dreadytofatroptsdj6io7l3xptbet6onoyno2yv7jicoxknyazubrad.onion and isn’t exactly a chilling place full of criminal activity for the most part. It is a forum that explores a variety of topics, largely based upon what one can find on the dark web. Media scare tactics that position the dark web as a place solely for drug dealing and arms trafficking and identity theft, are only partially based in truth. There are some corners that are dedicated to forming a helpful community, whether this is always around a perfectly legal topic often depends upon the laws of one’s own country.