What Is The Hidden Wiki?

The Hidden Wiki is one of the oldest and most widely known directories on the dark web. It serves as a curated index of .onion websites accessible via the Tor network. Originally founded to help users explore the hidden parts of the internet safely, it remains a vital resource for finding categorized links to anonymous services, whistleblower platforms, privacy tools, uncensored forums, and more.

Mission and Philosophy

At its core, The Hidden Wiki stands for online freedom, privacy, decentralization, and the unrestricted access to information. We believe that everyone has the right to explore the internet without censorship or surveillance. The platform exists to empower users to navigate the Tor network with a degree of orientation, by categorizing various .onion sites under topics like privacy tools, activism, marketplaces, forums, file hosting, and secure communications.

We do not host or create content ourselves. We are simply a community-moderated directory. All links are user-submitted and reviewed for relevance and legality, but we make no guarantees about their safety, uptime, or intent. The idea is to provide a gateway — not a destination.

A Brief History

The Hidden Wiki emerged during the early years of the Tor network’s growth. It became popular in underground communities and among digital privacy advocates due to its simplicity and utility. It was originally editable by anyone — a true wiki — but due to vandalism and spam, most mirrors today are curated or partially moderated. Over time, various versions and mirrors have appeared and disappeared as Tor services rise and fall.

Some versions have gained notoriety for linking to illicit content, but many iterations (including ours) follow strict ethical guidelines to avoid indexing or promoting anything illegal or harmful.

How The Hidden Wiki Works

We are not a search engine. The Hidden Wiki is a manually maintained directory of Tor websites. Our team — and trusted community members — continuously verify, update, or remove outdated links. Categories are organized for ease of access. Each listing typically includes a title, description, and onion address. Links are sorted into sections such as:

  • Privacy & Security Tools
  • Forums & Social
  • Hosting & Communications
  • Financial Services (Crypto-focused)
  • News, Activism, and Journalism
  • Marketplaces (legal only)
  • Whistleblowing Platforms

Because the dark web is volatile, links frequently go down or change. We rely on community reports to keep the directory up-to-date.

Transparency and Ethics

We are not affiliated with any group, service, vendor, or political ideology. We are not-for-profit and do not serve ads, use trackers, or embed analytics. The Hidden Wiki does not accept payments for link placements and does not rank or favor services based on monetary incentives.

We also prohibit the listing of sites that promote hate speech, child exploitation, terrorism, or any clearly illegal activity. Our moderation guidelines reflect a commitment to responsible content curation while maintaining our support for privacy and information freedom.

Why Use The Hidden Wiki?

Navigating the Tor network can be confusing, especially for new users. The Hidden Wiki provides a simple and structured way to discover onion services without needing to sift through outdated Reddit threads, random pastebins, or potentially malicious onion crawlers.

For example, if you are looking for encrypted email providers, you can find several vetted options in our “Privacy & Security” section. If you are a journalist, you may find whistleblower dropboxes or censorship-resistant publication tools. The Hidden Wiki is the starting point — but where you go next is up to you.

Security and Anonymity Practices

We strongly advise all users to access The Hidden Wiki only via the official .onion address using the latest version of the Tor Browser. Do not attempt to access onion links through a normal web browser or through clearnet proxies, as they may compromise your anonymity.

We recommend disabling JavaScript in the Tor Browser unless necessary, verifying onion addresses before entering credentials or sending cryptocurrency, and never revealing personal information through any dark web form.

Community and Contribution

The Hidden Wiki thrives on community participation. While we do not allow public editing due to abuse, we encourage trusted users to submit updates, corrections, and new listings through encrypted channels. Submissions are reviewed manually, and only those that meet our standards are approved.

If you are interested in contributing, helping verify links, or maintaining a mirror, get in touch using the PGP-encrypted contact information listed on our homepage. We value quality contributions and support the decentralized model of information sharing.

Future Goals

We are currently working on expanding language support, improving mirror uptime, integrating offline backup tools, and creating downloadable HTML archives so that users in censored regions can access useful resources even without real-time Tor access. Our long-term mission is to make The Hidden Wiki resilient, censorship-proof, and globally accessible.

Conclusion

The Hidden Wiki remains one of the most trusted portals to the Tor network. It is not just a list of links — it's a statement about the future of online freedom. While dangers do exist on the dark web, The Hidden Wiki stands as a neutral, ethical resource to guide users through the maze with awareness and caution. Whether you're a journalist, researcher, whistleblower, or privacy advocate, we welcome you to explore responsibly.