Fawkes Security Hub

Security FAQ

Is Fawkes Market safe to use?
The market does its part — escrow on every order, PGP-signed announcements, canonical links at fawkes.sc. Your part is the habit list: verified links, PGP 2FA, small balances, feedback-driven vendor choice. Markets can't protect you from a password typed into a clone; you can.
What's the safest way to access the market?
The onion address in Tor Browser, opened from a bookmark. The 56-character address can't be faked, and traffic is end-to-end encrypted through Tor.
Do I need a VPN?
Usually not with Tor — it anonymises traffic already. A VPN on its own (no Tor) is a convenience for reaching clearnet mirrors on restrictive networks.
What's the most common mistake buyers make?
Searching for the market instead of bookmarking it, then typing a password into a phishing clone. Second place: leaving large balances on the market. Both are covered in the OPSEC checklist.
Is PGP hard to learn?
No — modern tools (Kleopatra, GPG Suite, OpenKeychain) make it a five-minute setup. The PGP guide walks through it.
Should I use Bitcoin or Monero?
For privacy, Monero — its blockchain hides sender, receiver and amount. Bitcoin is fine for convenience; many buyers swap BTC→XMR before depositing.
Can I recover an account after losing my PGP key?
Maybe, via market support with proof of ownership — but assume not. Offline key backups make the question moot.
Are these guides official?
No — this is an independent security hub. The market's official verification page is fawkes.sc; our mirror list matches it.