Katarzyna Petru
Google announced that next year it will discontinue its 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 accessible to all users in mid-2024. Once activated, Google would notify 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 the list of all detected instances 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 admitted that "user feedback showed that the reports did not provide helpful next steps." In other words – the tool informed users about the issue, but did not suggest what to do next. There was a lack of clear, practical advice on securing accounts or minimizing the effects of a breach.
As a result, Google plans 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 discontinued on January 15, 2026, and on February 16, 2026, reports will completely disappear from users' accounts.
What users can do right now
Those who do not want to wait until next year can already delete their monitoring profile. All you have 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 merely informing users about a data 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 own data.
