1. Data we collect
Darknet Markets is an independent research and awareness initiative. We exist to inform analysts, journalists and security teams about anonymous online ecosystems — not to profile individuals. The data we collect is limited to what is required to keep the site running.
- Server access logs: the usual access-log fields — IP, timestamp, URL, user agent, referrer — held for a short rolling period to support abuse prevention and capacity tuning.
- Aggregated statistics: anonymous counts of pageviews and search queries, used to gauge interest across topics. No personal identifiers are retained.
- Form submissions: whatever you choose to enter into the contact or comment form (name, email, message). Nothing reaches us unless you explicitly submit.
2. What this site does not collect
- We never share, rent or sell visitor data to any advertising network.
- We do not load third-party tracking pixels or perform browser fingerprinting.
- We do not require an account, login or wallet address to read the catalog.
- We have no visibility into other .onion services you visit — that traffic stays between you and Tor.
3. Cookies and persistent storage
The site uses only the cookies strictly required for it to function — for example, a session cookie when you submit a form, or a preference cookie if you toggle a UI option. We do not set advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. You can clear cookies in your browser at any time without losing access to the site.
4. Services from external providers
We make use of a limited set of third-party services strictly for technical reasons:
- Hosting and CDN: our hosting and CDN partners route traffic so pages can be delivered. They see roughly the same data as the server logs above.
- Web fonts: fonts are loaded from Google Fonts, which means your browser may share its IP with Google. You can block third-party fonts in your browser without breaking the page — system fonts will be used as a fallback.
- Search engines: the site is indexed by major search engines so that researchers can find the catalog. We do not control what those engines record about your searches.
5. Adult audience
Darknet Markets is meant for adult professional and academic audiences. The site is not for children, and we do not knowingly gather data from minors. If you are below the age of majority in your jurisdiction, please leave this site.
6. Your rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may be entitled to access, correct or erase any personal data we hold about you and to object to certain processing. Because we collect very little personal data on purpose, there is rarely anything identifiable for us to act on. If you have submitted a form and want your data removed, reach out via the link below.
7. Security measures
Reasonable technical and organisational safeguards are in place — HTTPS for all traffic, hardened server configuration and ongoing monitoring. No online service can guarantee perfect security, so apply your own operational hygiene when reaching out, particularly across the public internet.
8. Changes to this policy
We may revise this policy occasionally to reflect technology, regulation or operational changes. Material updates will be marked here with a refreshed "Last updated" date. Using the site after a change means you accept the new terms.
9. Contact us
Privacy or data-handling enquiries can be sent through the contact form with a relevant subject. We aim to reply in good time and never use form submissions for marketing.