Article Details

Google to Shut Down Dark Web Monitoring Tool in February 2026. Google has announced that it's discontinuing its dark web report tool in February 2026, less than two years after it was launched as a way for users to monitor if their personal information is found on the dark web. To that end, scans for new dark web breaches will be stopped on January 15, 2026, and the feature will cease to exist effective February 16, 2026. "While the report offered general information, feedback showed that it didn't provide helpful next steps," Google said in a support document. "We're making this change to instead focus on tools that give you more clear, actionable steps to protect your information online." The tech giant said it will delete all data related to dark web report once the feature is retired in February, but noted that users have an option to delete their monitoring profile ahead of time by following the steps below - The dark web report was unveiled by Google in March 2023 to combat online identity fraud stemming from information stolen through data breaches and made available on the dark web. The report was designed to scan the darknet for personal data, such as name, address, email, phone number, and Social Security number, and notify users when it's found. In July 2024, Google expanded the offering beyond Google One subscribers to include all account holders. Google is also urging users to strengthen their account privacy and security by creating a passkey for phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA) and removing their personal information from Google Search results via Results about you.