Google has announced that it is bringing dark web reports to all account users starting in late July. The service enables the user to keep a check on the emergence of their data on the dark web which could prove to be potentially harmful. Previously limited to users with the Google One subscription, it will now be accessible to all users. This development comes weeks after the tech giant discontinued the VPN by Google One service.
Dark Web Reports on Google
Dark web reports from Google inform users when their personal information has been found in a data breach. It when data breach information is made accessible to Google, the company checks for data associated with the user's email address or other information, including their name, phone number, address, username, password or social security number.
Users can then make informed decisions about how to best protect their data. Although the dark web reports service was previously bundled with the Google One subscription, it will be made available to all Google account holders soon. However, the service is not available to users with Google Workspace or supervised accounts.
The Google One app now includes a message that tells users that the dark web report feature will no longer be a part of a Google One subscription starting in late July. It also includes a link to a support document that states "dark web report will become available to all users with a consumer Google Account."
With this change, users do not need to download the app or log in to access the reports. According to Google, dark web reports will be merged with the Results about you page – another service by the company that enables the user to check if their personal information appears in search results. They can also request the removal of their data from the web.
Dark web reports are available in 46 countries including India, Japan, the UK, and the US.
The expansion of dark web data monitoring to all users comes weeks after Google discontinued another feature – continuous scroll search on mobile and desktop platforms. In its place, the tech giant has opted for a search-by-page-number format.
Meanwhile, the dark web monitoring feature will become a part of the appropriately-named Google graveyard – a place where all the discarded Google services ultimately go, including Google Stadia, Pixel Pass, YouTube Stories, and the most recent addition, VPN by Google One.
