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.

Anything that harms your computer/data is a virus

The general term for software that harms your computer is malware, and a virus is a specific type of malware that modifies and clones itself (much like real life viruses like that make people ill).

Other types of malware include worms, trojans, rogues, spyware, and ransomware. Plus not all threats are the result of malware (e.g., a cybercriminal might hack your computer through vulnerabilities in its security). Some hazards are even non-intentional - data loss can occur as a result of hardware failure, human error, fire etc.

Macs don't get viruses

Apple and its fanboys have been pushing this myth for years. While this may have some truth if you take the phrase at face value, it is incredibly misleading because people have the wrong idea of what a virus is. Viruses are not the only type of malware, and malware isn't the only threat to your computer and data. I'd argue most malware out there isn't viruses.