da-kuk/Getty
- Google will offer its dark web report for free starting in late July.
- Previously a Google One feature, the report looks for data tied to you from past data breaches or hacks.
- Users can access the report via Google's "Results about you" tool to monitor and remove data.
Google is making its dark web report, which monitors data breaches, free for users starting late July.
The feature helps you track whether your personal details, such as your name, address, phone number, and email, have been leaked in online data breaches.
The report used to require a Google One membership, but it will no longer be available through the subscription service starting in July. Moving forward, it will be available in "Results about you," which is a feature that lets users find and remove results that contain their personal information, like home address, phone number, or email address.
Google launched the "Results about you" tool in 2022 to facilitate users' requests to remove their information. Since then, Google has updated the tool so that users are alerted when their personal contact information is found in Google search results.
To get Google's dark web report:
- Navigate to Google's "Results about you" page
- Click "Get Started"
- Type in your full name, address, phone number, and email. If you have multiple associated responses, you can try up to three versions for each. (Google says on the page that the contact information you insert is not shared or used to personalize your Google experience.)
- Once you plug in your information, set your notification settings to receive alerts over email or through the Google app. Then a screen will pop up saying it's "checking for any search results that match your name and contact info."
The process takes a few hours and alerts you when it's complete.
New results will appear within "Results to review," where users can request removal for results that include their personal information. You can also request to remove results when you use Search by selecting the menu icon next to a result with your contact information and clicking "Remove result."
Google reviews all requests to ensure they meet the removal requirements, which can take a few days. That includes checking the information and webpage to ensure they aren't owned by a government or educational institution.
The latest move is another effort from Google to enhance consumers' data and privacy protections. In addition to slowly pushing out the removal of web cookies, Google also developed its Privacy Sandbox. The collection of technologies is intended to protect consumers while still helping companies to advertise.
The move also comes about a month after a leaked copy of an internal Google database revealed thousands of privacy-related incidents and concerns from 2013 to 2018.