Google has announced it will shut down its dark web monitoring tool in February 2026, impacting users who rely on breach exposure alerts.
Less than two years after it was introduced as a means for consumers to track whether their personal information is discovered on the dark web, Google has announced that it will be shutting its dark web report service in February 2026.
As a result, on January 15, 2026, scans for fresh dark web breaches will finish, and on February 16, 2026, the service will no longer be available.
“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 clearer, actionable steps to protect your information online.”
To combat online identity fraud resulting from information obtained through data breaches and made available on the dark web, Google released the dark web report in March 2023.
The purpose of the report was to search the darknet for personal information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, and Social Security numbers, and to alert users when such information was discovered.
Google extended the service to all account users in July 2024, going beyond Google One subscribers.
Additionally, Google is encouraging users to improve the security and privacy of their accounts by deleting their personal information from Google Search results and generating a passkey for phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA).
