Katarzyna Petru
Google has announced that next year it will terminate the free dark web monitoring tool. The service will stop sending notifications about personal data leaks, 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 notified users when their name, email address, or phone number appeared in the dark web resources – most often as a result of data leaks from companies and online services. Users could also check the list of all detected cases along with information about which breach the data originated from.
Why Google is Discontinuing Reports
According to Google, the issue turned out to be the limited usefulness 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 about 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 data breach.
As a result, Google intends to focus on solutions that will offer specific and actionable steps after a threat is detected. Monitoring new results from the dark web will be disabled on 15 January 2026, and reports will completely disappear from user accounts on 16 February 2026.
What users can do now
Those who do not want to wait until next year can already delete their monitoring profile. All they need to do is go to the "results with your data" section on the official tool's website and manually disable the service.
Google's decision shows that mere information about a leak is no longer enough. There is an increasing emphasis on real user support – not just a warning, but also clear instructions on how to regain control over one's data.
