Gives you access to the Darkweb

The Darkweb is the "secret" internet that's under the radar of Google and only accessible with special software such as Freenet and Tor.

The Darkweb is usually used by those that want to preserve their anonymity online or those suffering political repression on the normal internet (referred to on the Darkweb as "Clearnet"). However, because it grants maximum anonymity, it's also a haven for criminal activity so be warned there is a quite a lot of illegal content on Darkweb.

Freenet is a Java based application that connects you to other Freenet users. Traffic and content is bounced and shared around different users meaning its almost impossible to trace who is using it and what they are looking at. Freenet installs a client in your System Tray from where you can activate and deactivate Freenet at anytime. Note that Freenet only allows you access to Freenet - you can't surf the normal net with it anonymously unlike with Tor.

When you setup Freenet, you're offered a range of security settings from Low to Maximum depending on how secure you need it to be. The Maximum setting offers the slowest surfing speed but its also the most secure and prevents any trace of content being left in your cache.

Freenet is very basic in look and functionality. Freenet pages are simply hyperlinks which “download” to your computer and can take quite a while to open. The first page you're presented with is a handful of links of which the first one "Linkageddon" is the main gateway to the majority of content on Freenet. There is a clear warning next to this link that some of the material is highly offensive and Freenet is certainly not suitable for minors.

Freenet is an interesting freedom of information project that harks back to the old days of the internet although users should be warned that much of the content is highly offensive or illegal.

  • Pros

    • Allows anonymous surfing within Freenet
    • No censorship or monitoring
    • Excellent for those in repressive regimes
  • Cons

    • Looks like a very dated version of the internet
    • A lot of illegal and offensive content
    • A little confusing to navigate at first
    • Doesn't allow you to surf the normal internet anonymously
 0/4

App specs

  • License

    Free

  • Version

    0.7.5

  • Latest update

  • Platform

    Windows

    Other platforms (1)
  • OS

    Windows Vista

  • Language

    English

  • Downloads

    47.3K

    Last month's downloads

    • 37
  • Size

    15.11 MB

  • Developer

Also available in other platforms

Program available in other languages


Icon of program: Freenet

Freenet  for PC

  • Free
  • 3.9
    42
  • 47.3K
  • V0.7.5

User reviews about Freenet

3.9

1 reviews

Main reviews for you

  • Anonymous user

    Ill keep you posted facinating program i was recomended it from a book i purchased on amazon the invisability toolkit giving it a try sounds exiting

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Laws concerning the use of this software vary from country to country. We do not encourage or condone the use of this program if it is in violation of these laws.
Softonic
Your review for Freenet
Softonic
95/100

Score result: Clean

This file passed a comprehensive security scan using VirusTotal technology. It is safe to download.

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  • Malware free
  • Verified by Security Partners

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Scan Info

Last scan
Sunday, December 17, 2023
Scan provider
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File Integrity

File
FreenetInstaller-1426.exe
SHA256
f3c6ae4b816543cf891050140394c100e37a78fa54f65eb6bb22a2238b1ab5c6
SHA1
6c5911f603fb6a4a7bb2e33d56205024e4e67bd4

Softonic security commitment

Freenet has been thoroughly scanned by our advanced security systems and verified by industry-leading partners. This file comes from the official developer and has passed all our security checks, showing no signs of viruses, malware, or spyware.