Google is retiring its free Dark Web report feature, which alerts users when their personal data appears on the dark web. The company will stop monitoring new matches on January 15, 2026, and will remove access to previously collected reports from February 16.
Google is retiring its free Dark Web report feature, which alerts users when their personal data appears on the dark web. The company will stop monitoring new matches on January 15, 2026, and will remove access to previously collected reports from February 16.
According to Engadget, the decision is related to user feedback: the system showed the very fact of data appearing on the darknet, but did not suggest clear and effective next steps. In a letter to users, Google noted that it wants to focus on tools that provide specific actions, not just notifications about leaks.
Dark web report allowed you to add your name, email, and phone number to your monitoring profile and receive notifications when this data is found in leaks or databases circulating in the «dark» part of the web. Initially, the feature was a privilege for Google One subscribers, but in mid-2024, the company opened it to all account holders.
Users can delete their monitoring profile now in the «results with your info» section of the tool’s page. After January 15, Google will stop looking for new matches, and from February 16, it will remove reports from accounts, so it’s worth reviewing your saved results in advance.
Such services are responding to a wave of mass hacks and database resale, where email addresses and phone numbers are publicly available or sold on forums. The fact that data is «exposed» does not always mean an immediate threat, but it increases the risk of phishing, SIM swapping, and account hacking attempts, so companies are competing to offer not only a warning, but also clear instructions on what to do next.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the first-ever crypto-platform drug market, Silk Road, was released from prison in the United States after a presidential pardon. His arrest in 2013 marked the beginning of a large-scale fight against the darknet.
