Address verification
The process of connecting an exact onion hostname to evidence controlled by the operator it claims to represent.
Bridge
A Tor relay that is not published in the ordinary public relay list and can help users connect where Tor is blocked. A bridge is not a website proxy and should not be confused with Tor2web.
Canonical URL
The preferred public URL representing a page when several URL forms could show the same or similar content.
Clearnet
The ordinary public internet reached through conventional domains and routing, in contrast with a service reachable only through a privacy network.
Clone
A copied or imitated site that uses a different address while reproducing the appearance or identity of another service.
Dark web
Web content intentionally reached through a darknet or privacy network. The term describes access architecture, not a universal content category.
Darknet
A network that requires special software, credentials, or configuration rather than ordinary public routing.
Deep web
Content not indexed by ordinary public search engines, including routine private portals and dynamically generated pages.
Directory
A curated collection of service records. A directory can support discovery but should not be treated as proof of ownership unless it publishes its evidence.
Exit relay
The Tor relay that sends traffic from the Tor network to an ordinary internet destination. Onion-service connections do not use an exit relay in the same way because both sides meet within Tor.
Hidden Wiki
A historical and reused label for onion-service directories. It does not identify one universally recognized operator.
IndexNow
A protocol that lets a site notify participating search engines when public URLs are added, updated, redirected, or removed.
Onion service
A service reached through Tor using a special cryptographic hostname. The Tor Project formerly used the term “hidden service.”
Onion-Location
An HTTP header or page metadata signal through which an HTTPS clearnet site can advertise its onion counterpart to Tor Browser users.
Operationally observed
A directory status indicating that a service responded during a check. It does not prove ownership, safety, or honesty.
Owner-confirmed
A directory status indicating that the operator published the onion hostname through an established first-party channel.
Relay
A volunteer-operated server that carries traffic as part of the Tor network.
Rendezvous point
A Tor relay selected as the meeting point for the visitor’s circuit and an onion service’s circuit.
SecureDrop
An open-source system organizations can operate to receive confidential documents from sources. The Freedom of the Press Foundation maintains project documentation and a reviewed directory of instances.
Tor
A privacy network that routes traffic through volunteer relays and supports onion services.
Tor2web
A gateway model that fetches onion-service content for ordinary browsers. It does not provide the client protections of Tor Browser and places the gateway operator in the connection path.
Verification label
A defined statement about what evidence has been collected. Labels should describe evidence precisely rather than making broad safety guarantees.