Common Computing Myths

Using the dark web is illegal

This does depend on the country, but in most western countries such as the US, simply visiting the dark web is not illegal. However, it is illegal if you're using it for illegal activites like selling drugs (just like on the clear web).

There are also legitimate and ethical reasons to use the dark web, perhaps the most obvious is bypassing surveillance and censorship in other countries, which is why some western media outlets (e.g., BBC) and police forces (e.g., the Dutch Police Force) have sites on the Dark Web.

Torrenting is illegal

Torrenting itself is just a peer-to-peer method of sharing files and so much like how the dark web is only illegal if you use it for illegal things, torrenting is only illegal if you're using it for the sake of piracy.

While a lot of people use software like qBittorrent for piracy, torrenting is used for legal file sharing as well. For example, a lot of Linux distros allow you to download an ISO file as a torrent.

Incognito mode keeps you anonymous

Incognito mode is a tool built-into modern browsers where you can browse the web without the browser saving your search history. While incognito mode is useful, it is not anonymous. The websites you're visiting can still identify things about you.

Formatting a drive completely removes the data

Formatting a drive deletes the index of the files on it, so it will seem as though the data is gone and your OS will report that the drive is empty. However, the data is still on the hard drive until it is overwritten by new data, and a lot of the time, the data can be recovered.

If you want to securely erase a hard drive, you can use tools like DBAN. Unlike a format, this will take a few hours (depending on the size of the drive and the erasure method), but the data will actually be gone. Alternatively, you can physically destroy the drive if you do not intend to use it again.