Google has announced that it is retiring its 'Dark Web Report' feature early in 2026, a tool that alerted users when their personal information appeared in dark-web data dumps.
The service, which began as a perk for Google One subscribers in 2023 and later expanded to all Google account holders, worked by scanning for your email addresses to determine whether they had appeared in data breaches, which often circulate on dark web marketplaces. The tool could then alert users about where the data was exposed, including any accompanying details such as dates of birth, addresses, and phone numbers.
And now, Google has said that it's going to stop scanning for new dark-web leaks on January 15, 2026, and that the feature will be fully discontinued on February 16, 2026, at which point all data associated with the feature will be deleted.
Google said that the decision stems from user feedback indicating the reports weren't very useful.
As the company put it on its support page:
The full email Google sent to dark web report users:
On February 16, 2026 the report will no longer be available and all related data will be removed. If you wish to remove your monitoring profile earlier, you can learn how to do so here.
In the meantime, we encourage you to use the existing tools we offer to strengthen your security and privacy, including Security and Privacy Checkups, Passkey, 2-Step Verification, Google Password Manager, and Password Checkup. We encourage you to also use Results about you, which can be used to find and request the removal of your personal information from Google Search results, like your phone number and home address. Generally, we’ll continue to offer tips and tools to help you stay safe online.
Thank you,
The Google team
For many users, the Dark Web Report simply notified them that their email address, usernames, phone numbers or other personal details had been found in third-party breach databases circulating in shadowy corners of the internet.
While such alerts could be eye-opening, they often left people unsure of what to do next, which is a point widely discussed in online communities, where many echoed the view that the alerts offered little beyond confirming a leak and recommending basic actions like changing passwords or enabling stronger account.
Because of the plan to shut down the feature, Google is encouraging users to rely more on other tools in its security ecosystem that do offer clear remediation steps and protections.
These include Security Checkup, built-in Passkeys, 2-Step Verification, Google Password Manager, and Password Checkup, as well as the Results About You feature that helps users locate and request removal of personal information from Google Search results.
Though the Dark Web Report's discontinuation may disappoint users who valued its breach alerts, Google’s shift underscores a broader industry challenge: simply notifying people about leaked data isn’t always enough without practical guidance on how to mitigate associated identity risks.
With the official sunset approaching in early 2026, users who signed up for the feature can also remove their monitoring profile ahead of time through their account settings if they prefer.