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Sharing Files Anonymously Online Via OnionShare

 ·  ☕ 4 min read  ·  ✍️ Adesh

Introducing OnionShare

In today’s tech-powered world, it is always important to be aware and mindful of your internet security. It is always best to encrypt your files before sharing any vital information on the internet. It might sound as if you are being paranoid, but it is the best thing to do for your protection. If you don’t take your internet safety seriously and you share sensitive files on the web without encryption, you should think twice before you compromise the security of your personal information. Most online services that do not have encryptions or safety codes are usually a gate pass for hackers, governments, and even predators to gain access to your information and data.

Being online is never safe. There is no guarantee for your safety and the safety of your friends and family. OnionShare is an open-source tool for sharing files of any size safely and anonymously. It is a free individual-to-individual file sharing service that operates with no intermediaries. Its primary focus is your security. But, how can you share files of any size on your computer via OnionShare? Must the recipient of your file install the software?

If you want to make use of the OnionShare protocol, one of the important things you need to do is to install the Tor browser. Effecting the OnionShare app will start a locally-run web server that uses Tor to share the files you need to make accessible. The end result, therefore, does not need the files to be stored online. Immediately the files have been downloaded, the web server on the host computer will be spontaneously terminated. The entire experience of using OnionShare is cost-free. The sharing files feature operates by developing a server to make it available as an Onion service.

How To Use OnionShare

The moment you have added a file to OnionShare, the program creates a unique URL for the other person to use to download the file. Moreover, the program does not need the development of any server on the web. This makes it very easy to use.

One of the interesting things about OnionShare is that you can be able to access the settings area via a murky button at the bottom-right corner of the page. This makes it easy and possible for you to configure the program to stop sharing the files after the first complete download. This guarantees only a single individual gains access to the file. So, if that URL finds its way to a public domain, it will not be compromised.

It is actually possible to alter how OnionShare interacts with Tor browser. All you need to do is go to the settings section at the top-right corner and you will be provided with all options to change the way you connect to Tor. If you are a new user and do not know much on the specific things you need to change, it is better to stick with the default settings for better usability.

More Fresh Features with OnionShare 2

OnionShare 2 has an interesting feature known as Stealth. This feature adds more security features to your OnionShare. It makes it harder for the other party to connect with you. By clicking the “create stealth Onion services” option, you activate the feature on your OnionShare.

OnionShare 2 also allows you to receive files. To receive files on your OnionShare, you just have to activate your OnionShare to receive mode. You can also create a public link that lets you receive files from multiple parties.  Just like with any anonymous dropbox, anyone can send anything malicious. You should open only files that you trust completely and might be more discreet to open them in virtual machines or TAILS.

Conclusion

OnionShare allows you to create a concealed file for total anonymity. This procedure just takes a few seconds. It is basically an onion website hosted on your computer. Onionshare not only conceals your identity or location but also keeps the two parties sharing files private from each other. This guarantees users safety online and safeguards important files from malicious attacks. What’s more, Onionshare users don’t have to store their files online. Once the file is downloaded, it’s terminated automatically by the web server of the host computer.

Further Reading

5 Best Free Cloud Storages

Array.Prototype.Flat() or ES2019 Array Flat() function

Type Inference In TypeScript

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Adesh
WRITTEN BY
Adesh
Technical Architect