Google is discontinuing a feature that many people used to check whether their personal information had fallen victim to data breaches. The company has confirmed that its dark web reporting tool will stop searching for new leaks in mid-January and will shut down completely on February 16, 2026. The feature was intended to warn users if details like their email address, phone number, name or other personal information show up in known dark web breach dumps, but Google now says it didn’t go far enough to help people respond to those warnings.
Why Google is pulling the plug on the Dark Web, report
The Dark Web report was released about a year and a half ago and quickly gained attention because it promised insights into a part of the Internet that most people don’t have access to themselves. Users could set up a monitoring profile and receive alerts if their information appears in compromised databases.
According to Google, the decision comes down to usefulness. Feedback showed that while the tool could report potential data disclosure, it rarely explained which specific services were affected or what meaningful steps users could take beyond simply changing passwords.
How to continue monitoring your personal data leaks
Google wants to focus on security tools that provide clearer, more actionable guidance. This includes security clearance, password manager, password verification, account login passkeys, and other protections found in the Google Safety Center. The Company also encourages users to rely on another page called “Results about you.” It helps people find and request removal of personal information such as phone numbers and home addresses from Google search results.
Users can also delete their dark web monitoring profile at any time before the shutdown. To do this, go to the Dark Web Report while logged into your Google account, open “Results with your information,” select “Edit Monitoring Profile,” and select “Delete Monitoring Profile.”
While research continues to show that many people still rely on easy-to-guess passwords, Google has introduced changes to make account recovery less stressful and added live threat detection features on Android to uncover security risks in real time.
