We are formally announcing the discontinuation of the Dark Web Report, a service initially designed to scour the dark web for indications that your personal information might have appeared in illicit data markets or compromised sources. This feature, which has long served as a form of background surveillance intended to alert users of potential data exposure, will end its monitoring activities for new results on January 15, 2026. From that point forward, no further updates or notifications regarding newly identified data will be generated. Furthermore, as part of a comprehensive phase‑out, all records and findings associated with this service will be permanently removed and rendered inaccessible beginning February 16, 2026.

Although the Dark Web Report provided a broad overview of whether elements of your personal information—such as an email address or other identifiable data—had surfaced in dark web repositories, user input revealed that its insights were too general to be genuinely actionable. Many users expressed that while the report helped raise awareness of potential risks, it fell short in guiding them toward specific, pragmatic steps they could take to secure their accounts and protect their privacy. In response to that feedback, we have reevaluated our approach and determined that our resources will be better devoted to developing robust, transparent tools that offer immediate, practical actions for improving your cybersecurity posture.

This adjustment reflects our broader commitment to enhancing user protection through clarity and empowerment rather than passive monitoring alone. Even as the Dark Web Report retires, our overarching mission remains unchanged. We will continue to safeguard users against a broad spectrum of online threats—including those originating from the dark web itself—through an evolving suite of technologies designed to detect, prevent, and mitigate risks to your personal data.

Specifically, on February 16, 2026, the report will become entirely unavailable, and every related dataset tied to user monitoring profiles will be deleted in accordance with our privacy and data retention standards. Should you prefer to proactively terminate your dark web monitoring profile before that date, we provide clear instructions to help you complete the process independently; you can find the necessary steps by visiting the guidance linked here.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of the comprehensive range of security and privacy features already available to you. These include our Security and Privacy Checkups, which analyze your account configuration to identify potential vulnerabilities; Passkey support, offering a passwordless and strongly authenticated sign‑in experience; 2‑Step Verification, which significantly strengthens account defense by requiring a second form of confirmation; Google Password Manager, designed to create and store safe, unique passwords; and the Password Checkup feature, which automatically evaluates the strength and exposure of your saved credentials. Additionally, our Results about you tool enables you to discover and request the removal of personal information from Google Search—such as phone numbers, addresses, or other identifying details—so that you retain greater control over your digital footprint.

Collectively, these tools form a cohesive ecosystem of protection meant to help you navigate the internet with confidence. Beyond individual features, we will continue sharing useful insights, expert guidance, and up‑to‑date best practices to assist you in fortifying your online safety. Our long‑term vision is to provide users with tangible, effective ways to secure their private information while maintaining transparency about how data protection evolves in response to emerging threats.

We sincerely thank you for your trust and participation in this service over the years, and we look forward to supporting you with even more powerful solutions that directly contribute to your digital security and peace of mind.

Sincerely,
The Google Team

Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/news/844700/google-dark-web-reports-shut-down