Is simply accessing onion (.onion) sites illegal in the United States in 2025?
Executive summary
Simply visiting .onion (Tor) websites is not presented as a crime in U.S. sources reviewed: multiple security and technology sites state that “accessing onion sites isn’t illegal” or that using Tor itself is lawful in the United States [1] [2]. Legal risk arises from conduct on those sites — buying drugs, trafficking stolen data, or operating criminal marketplaces — which federal enforcement actively targets [3] [1].
1. The baseline legal statement: access itself is generally legal
Mainstream security and privacy guides repeatedly say that merely using the Tor Browser and opening .onion addresses is lawful in the U.S.; these guides stress that legality depends on the user’s actions, not the protocol or the address space itself [1] [2] [4].
2. Why authorities still focus on Tor: criminal marketplaces and seizures
Law enforcement treats many onion services as crime scenes when those services operate illicit markets. The FBI’s public operation seizing more than 400 .onion addresses tied to dark markets shows authorities will pursue operators, vendors and purchasers for traditional crimes facilitated on Tor [3]. That action illustrates that visiting an illegal marketplace and transacting can trigger criminal liability even if simply loading the site is not itself outlawed [3].
3. Practical legal risk: it’s about behavior, not the domain suffix
Multiple reporting and legal guides argue that the legal question turns on behavior: protected uses include journalism, whistleblowing and censorship circumvention, while illegal uses include buying contraband or distributing stolen data — conduct that violates federal statutes regardless of the network used [2] [5] [6].
4. Safety and collateral risk: malware, deception, and monitoring
Security advisories warn that onion sites raise significant safety risks: sophisticated phishing, malware and scams are prevalent on many hidden services, and some reporting notes that visiting can increase exposure to threats and potential “legal liability” if users interact with illegal content or services [1] [7]. Those technical and operational hazards create practical legal exposure even without explicit criminal intent [1].
5. Legitimate institutional use: major organizations maintain .onion mirrors
The Tor ecosystem hosts legitimate services — news outlets, secure-drop platforms, email and even official mirrors from large institutions — demonstrating legitimate, law‑abiding use cases for .onion addresses [2] [8] [9]. This strengthens the position that the technology and domain form are neutral; it is the content and conduct that determine legality [5] [4].
6. International variance and enforcement realities
Sources emphasize that legality differs by jurisdiction: some states block Tor or penalize its use, while the U.S., UK and much of Europe allow Tor use for lawful purposes [10] [1] [6]. U.S. enforcement priorities, however, concentrate on criminal enterprises operating on Tor; that means U.S. users face higher scrutiny when their activity aligns with those crimes [3].
7. What the sources do not say — limits of the available reporting
Available sources do not mention any 2025 U.S. statute that criminalizes mere access to .onion sites. They also do not provide a comprehensive survey of state-level cases that might test the boundaries of “access” versus “use” in court (not found in current reporting). For definitive legal advice in a specific situation, primary legal sources or counsel are required (available sources do not mention individualized legal guidance).
8. Practical takeaways for readers who might visit .onion sites
If you choose to access Tor, recognize that the act of access is treated as lawful in the coverage reviewed, but every interaction can carry legal and security risk: avoid transactions for illicit goods or services, use best security practices, and remember that federal actions target marketplaces and their users [1] [3] [7]. The policy framing in tech and legal commentary consistently places the burden on conduct rather than the use of Tor itself [2] [5].
Bottom line: the sources reviewed present accessing .onion sites as lawful in the United States when used for legitimate purposes but warn that illegal activity on those sites is actively prosecuted and that significant security and legal dangers attach to interacting with many hidden services [1] [3].