Google pulls plug on Dark Web report – What happens to your leaked data now?

Google will discontinue its Dark Web Report tool by February 2026, citing limited user actionability. The feature, once aimed at flagging leaked personal data, will be retired as Google refocuses on actionable security tools.

Google has announced that it will discontinue its Dark Web Report tool, which scans the dark web for leaked personal data associated with users’ accounts, early in 2026. The tool, which has been around since mid-2024, is being retired because it could not provide users with a specific next step after being notified of a breach.

Google says it has been monitoring known data breaches and alerting users when personal information including email addresses, phone numbers, and names or other sensitive information may have appeared in dark web data dumps as part of a data breach. The feature launched for Google One subscribers in 2023, and was expanded to all users in mid-2024.

Google says feedback from users showed that despite being able to notify users of a potential problem, the feature fell short of what would be necessary to assist users with their account security. Many who received the dark web alerts were not able to easily determine what specific accounts were impacted or how to respond to the breach, Google says.

As part of the retirement, Google is ending the scanning of new dark web data breaches as of January 15, 2026, and is completely disabling the feature on February 16, 2026. At that point, users will no longer be able to access old reports, and Google says it will delete all data associated with Dark Web Report monitoring profiles from its servers.

In its announcement, Google notes that the discontinuation of Dark Web Report is not an indication that the company is scaling back on its efforts in security and privacy. Instead, the company says it will be focusing on tools that can provide more direct assistance to users looking to secure their accounts and information.

Google says users can continue to use other features it provides, including Security Checkup, Google Password Manager, and Password Checkup, as well as tools such as Passkeys and 2-Step Verification for stronger authentication of accounts. Users can also take advantage of Google’s “Results About You” feature, which allows people to find and request that their personal data be removed from Google Search results.

Security experts note that automatic dark web monitoring is a “great idea in theory,” but only becomes valuable for users once they have received a breach alert. Without a concrete next step, simple notifications could do more to create anxiety in users rather than helping them. Many third-party services including Have I Been Pwned offer dark web monitoring for those who wish to continue using the service.