Katarzyna Petru
Google has announced that it will discontinue the free dark web monitoring tool next year. The service will stop sending notifications about personal data breaches, and access to reports will be completely removed from user accounts in February 2026.
The tool, which was initially available only to Google One subscribers, was made available to all users in mid-2024. Once activated, Google would alert users when their name, email address, or phone number appeared in dark web resources – most often as a result of data leaks from companies and online services. Users could also check a list of all detected cases along with information about which breach the data came from.
Why Google is ditching reports
According to Google, the issue turned out to be the limited usability of this feature. In an official statement, the company acknowledged that “user feedback showed that reports did not provide helpful next steps.” In other words – the tool informed users of the problem, but did not suggest what to do next. There was a lack of clear, practical guidance on securing accounts or minimising the impact of a breach.
As a result, Google plans to focus on solutions that aim to offer specific and actionable steps after a threat is detected. Monitoring of new results from the dark web will be disabled on 15 January 2026, and on 16 February 2026 reports will completely disappear from user accounts.
What users can do right now
Those who don't want to wait until next year can now delete their monitoring profile. All you need to do is go to the "results with your data" section on the official tool's website and manually turn off the service.
Google's decision shows that merely informing about a leak is no longer enough. There is an increasing emphasis on real support for users – not just a warning, but also clear instructions on how to regain control over their own data.
