{"id":2644,"date":"2025-06-10T11:33:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T02:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/?p=2644"},"modified":"2025-06-10T11:37:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T02:37:38","slug":"accessing-jcl-kr-on-the-dark-web-why-i-added-a-tor-onion-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/?p=2644","title":{"rendered":"You Can Now Access jcl.kr on the Dark Web: Here&#8217;s Why (And How I Did It)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you&#8217;re like me and you care about privacy, open access to information, and exploring the edges of technology, you might appreciate this: I&#8217;ve just made my personal blog <a href=\"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/\">jcl.kr<\/a> accessible via the Tor network using a <code>.onion<\/code> address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, before you imagine me in a dark room wearing a hoodie and typing green code into a terminal\u2014relax. This isn\u2019t about hacking or illegal stuff. It\u2019s about experimenting with privacy-preserving technologies and making my content more accessible and resilient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This post walks you through what a <code>.onion<\/code> address is, why I set one up, and how you can visit it. I\u2019ll also explain how I configured it on my server (yes, I use Rocky Linux), what challenges I ran into, and some thoughts about the future of privacy-focused publishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\uddc5 First off, what&#8217;s a .onion address?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A <code>.onion<\/code> address is a domain that lives on the <strong>Tor network<\/strong>, which is a decentralized, volunteer-run anonymity network. Unlike <code>jcl.kr<\/code> which you can open in Chrome or Safari, <code>.onion<\/code> sites can only be accessed using the <strong>Tor browser<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The address itself looks like complete gibberish\u2014something like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>http:&#47;&#47;vwewsodumztq2sqc32uqeag4fhrsw6cvn3ypkjcafx7ltso23zxt36yd.onion\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Why? Because it&#8217;s a hash generated from a cryptographic key used to securely identify the site. There\u2019s no domain registrar, no DNS system\u2014just math and cryptography. Pretty cool, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accessing <code>.onion<\/code> sites means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your connection is <strong>encrypted<\/strong> multiple times<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your IP is <strong>anonymized<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The server&#8217;s location\/IP is also <strong>hidden<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why <code>.onion<\/code> sites are sometimes associated with the &#8220;dark web&#8221;\u2014but remember, <strong>Tor \u2260 criminal<\/strong>. It\u2019s a tool. Just like email can be used for spam or for work, Tor can be used for good or bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udca1 Why I added a .onion version of jcl.kr<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I work in IT. I\u2019ve always been fascinated with privacy, open systems, and the idea that the internet should be free and uncensored. Making jcl.kr accessible on Tor wasn\u2019t a business decision, it was a personal one. Here\u2019s what motivated me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Privacy-first access<\/strong>: Visitors who don\u2019t want their visit logged by ISPs, ad networks, or even governments can browse jcl.kr anonymously.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bypassing censorship<\/strong>: If someone in a restricted country wants to read my posts about technology, sales, or scuba diving\u2014why not give them a safer path?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Experimentation<\/strong>: I love getting my hands dirty with real-world tech. Running a .onion site is a great way to understand how modern anonymity infrastructure works.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Future-proofing<\/strong>: Who knows how open the internet will remain in 5 or 10 years? Running a <code>.onion<\/code> mirror feels like a small insurance policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udd27 How I set it up on Rocky Linux<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m running my blog on a <strong>Rocky Linux<\/strong> VPS, so this is what I did:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Installed Tor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>sudo dnf install tor -y\nsudo systemctl enable tor\nsudo systemctl start tor\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Configured the Hidden Service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Edited <code>\/etc\/tor\/torrc<\/code> and added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>HiddenServiceDir \/var\/lib\/tor\/jcl_hidden\/\nHiddenServicePort 80 127.0.0.1:80\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>This tells Tor to forward incoming .onion traffic to my local web server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Got the .onion address<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>sudo cat \/var\/lib\/tor\/jcl_hidden\/hostname\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Boom. That line gives you your <code>.onion<\/code> domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Secured the web server<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though Tor encrypts traffic, I still wanted my blog to be HTTPS-ready. I use <strong>Let&#8217;s Encrypt<\/strong> on the clearnet side, and for <code>.onion<\/code>, optional HTTPS via self-signed cert is possible, but not required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Modified WordPress theme<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Since I\u2019m using a minimal theme without a footer, I inserted a custom <code>.onion<\/code> banner using the <code>wp_footer<\/code> hook in <code>functions.php<\/code>, styled it to be mobile-friendly, and tested it in both clearnet and Tor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udded Tips for first-time Tor users<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve never used Tor, it\u2019s super easy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Download it here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.torproject.org\/download\">https:\/\/www.torproject.org\/download<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open the browser and paste this in:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>http:&#47;&#47;vwewsodumztq2sqc32uqeag4fhrsw6cvn3ypkjcafx7ltso23zxt36yd.onion\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>That\u2019s it. You\u2019re anonymous, encrypted, and reading my blog through a decentralized network.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udd14 Is this common?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Not really. Most blogs and personal sites don\u2019t bother with <code>.onion<\/code> mirrors. But I\u2019ve seen it becoming more common with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Journalists and activists<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open-source software communities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Privacy-focused companies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For me, it\u2019s a tech experiment, a statement, and maybe even a conversation starter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udde0 What I learned (and what\u2019s next)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>.onion<\/code> addresses are easy to generate, but <strong>long and ugly<\/strong>. I\u2019m thinking of using a vanity generator like <code>mkp224o<\/code> to create something more memorable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I\u2019d love to explore <strong>Tor user behavior<\/strong> using privacy-safe analytics (no cookies or IPs, of course)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the future, maybe I\u2019ll publish exclusive content or early releases for Tor users<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re curious about implementing your own <code>.onion<\/code> version of a site, feel free to ask me. It\u2019s easier than you think, and kind of fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udc4b Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to go full Snowden to appreciate online anonymity. Just knowing that it\u2019s possible\u2014and that someone cares enough to make it available\u2014is powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you\u2019re browsing jcl.kr from Tor: welcome, and thank you for caring about privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you\u2019re not? That\u2019s okay too. But now you know a little more about how the internet can work in different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay safe, stay curious, and feel free to reach out if you want to talk more about privacy, tech, or travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks for reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212; Jacob<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;re like me and you care about privacy, open access to information, and exploring the edges of technology, you might appreciate this: I&#8217;ve just made my personal blog jcl.kr&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[222,221,223],"class_list":["post-2644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1","tag-onion","tag-darkweb","tag-tor"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2644"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2647,"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644\/revisions\/2647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jcl.kr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}