Google is making its dark web monitoring tool free to all Google account holders, the company has said. The tool, which allows users to monitor their personal information involved in data breaches, was only available to Google One subscribers. The subscription starts at $1.99 per month and boasts over 100 million customers.
“Dark web report will no longer require a Google One membership. All users signed into their Google Accounts can use the feature as it’s made available,” Google explained.
Google says the dark web monitoring tool “will become available to all users with a consumer Google Account” and will not require Google One membership. It will be integrated into the ‘results about you’ page of the Google app later in July “as a combined solution to help users protect their online presence,” the company said.
How Google’s dark web monitoring tool works
To take advantage of the dark web monitoring tool, you will need to create what Google describes as a “monitoring profile.”
You can select which personal data items you want explicitly tracked by Google for more accurate results. Google monitoring tool will track the account holder’s name, address, email address, phone number, social security number, username, and password.
Previously, Google account owners could only see where their contact information appeared on search results and request the removal of that information. However, the dark web monitoring tool is more robust and can monitor sites not indexed by search engines and only accessible via specialized browsers.
Google will also allow you to delete your monitoring profile to stop notifying you of personal data leaks. However, you can create a new monitoring profile at any time to start tracking your personal information all over again.
When Google finds your information on the dark web, it will send you an alert with instructions on what to do next. The most immediate response for leaked details such as user account passwords would be to change them and enable multi-factor authentication to prevent account takeover.
For others, such as Social Security Numbers and physical addresses, victims have limited options once the details leak to the public. However, knowing that your personal information is circulating on the dark web can help victims avoid potential scams.
It remains unclear what informed Google to make its dark web monitoring tool freely available to all account holders. However, with the recent increase in the frequency and severity of data breaches across the board, any effort to keep users safe online is always welcome.
Other free dark web monitoring tools exist, such as Troy Hunt’s Have I Been Pwned?, but Google’s dominant position makes its dark web monitoring tool an excellent choice for most people. Unfortunately, only US customers with a billing method can add a Social Security Number, and the program is only available in select countries, although “additional countries and regions will be added.”
Meanwhile, Google also shared some disappointing news after announcing it would shut down its VPN by Google One service, which was bundled into one subscription. However, the premium Google Meet, storage sharing with up to five people, and enhanced Google Calendar will remain after signing up for the Google One subscription.
