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No more useless alerts. No more passive monitoring. Less than two years after its launch, Google has decided to shut down one of the most talked-about digital security tools: the Dark Web Report . The feature, designed to help users find out if their personal data has ended up on the dark web, will cease to exist on February 16, 2026 , while scans for new breaches will stop as early as January 15, 2026 .
According to the tech giant, the report “offered general information, but user feedback showed it didn’t provide concrete guidance on what to do.” Google now promises to focus on tools that offer clear, immediately actionable steps to protect your information online.
If you wish, you can delete your monitoring profile early: simply access the Dark Web Report, click “Edit monitoring profile,” and then select “Delete monitoring profile.” All data will be automatically deleted when you deactivate the feature.
Launched in March 2023, the Dark Web Report was designed as a defense against online identity fraud by checking the darknet for personal data such as name, address, email, phone number, and Social Security number. In July 2024, Google expanded the service from Google One to all accounts, thus expanding the scope of monitoring.
Google is now urging users to take control of their digital security. The recommended first step is to enable passkeys , phishing-resistant multifactor authentication tools that make it harder for criminals to steal your credentials. A complex password is no longer enough: you need protection that doesn’t just warn you of risks, but actually neutralizes them.
In parallel, Google suggests using the “Results about you” feature to remove your personal data from search results. This isn’t just a privacy measure, but a real shield against unwanted exposure of your data online. Any information left public can be collected, combined, and resold on the dark web: protecting it drastically reduces the risk of identity theft.
The decision marks a clear shift from a passive monitoring approach to a strategy based on concrete actions and active protection, leaving behind a tool that, while useful for uncovering data on the dark web, did not provide the guidance needed to truly defend oneself.
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