CALIFORNIA (Kashmir English): Google recently announced that it is discontinuing the reporting tool on the dark web in early 2026. This feature was added to users two and a half years ago through Google One, but was available to all users by 2024, allowing users to search for any exposure of their personal data on the dark web.
This tool will be discontinued due to its inability to meet the expectations of users when it comes to follow-through activities post-breaches.
The dark web reporting tool was intended to scan for vulnerable personal information like email addresses, phone numbers, and Social Security Numbers on the dark web. The tool would offer information on where the information was exposed to and what kind.
Even though this service was quite useful in pinpointing the leaked data, Google admitted to providing only generic information without providing any valuable follow-through directions for users to follow.
Google understood how much more effective they could have been by providing easy-to-follow directions to lock down the data for users.
Though the end of the reporting tool for the dark web may come as a disappointment to some users, Google is adamant that this is not an indication of reduced efforts towards online security.
