Google’s Dark Web Report Is Gone — Here’s What That Means for Your Identity

Google has quietly ended the built-in Dark Web Report feature that once alerted users when their personal information showed up in underground breach databases.

Although the tool hasn’t yet vanished from every Google account, its core functionality stopped working on January 15, meaning it no longer scans the dark web for leaked data or sends new alerts, effectively marking the end of a service users cared about.

Originally rolled out in mid-2024 as part of Google Accounts, the Dark Web Report scanned known breach dumps and criminal marketplaces to see if personal details tied to your Google login (including email addresses, phone numbers, and other identifiers) had been exposed. When a match was found, Google sent a notification alerting you to potential exposure.

Google, however, decided to phase the feature out. The company confirmed that dark web scanning stopped on January 15, 2026 and that the full feature, along with all stored monitoring data, will be completely removed on February 16. After that, users won’t be able to access old reports or monitoring profiles because Google will delete all related data.

Why Google Is Pulling the Plug

According to Google, the tool didn’t deliver the kind of help users really needed. Many people found that alerts simply told them their data might be compromised, without giving clear guidance on what to do next or which accounts were actually at risk. In its announcement, Google said the feature “didn’t provide helpful next steps,” and that the company wants to focus on tools that do provide clear, actionable guidance.

As part of this shift, Google is encouraging users to make more use of existing account protection tools.

For people who are serious about protecting their identity online, this change highlights something important: just knowing something might be exposed isn’t always enough. That’s where Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection comes in.

Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection is a dedicated service that continuously watches over your online identity with ongoing monitoring and protection layers that alert you if sensitive information connected to you is exposed.

Here’s how it supports you:

1. Continuous Monitoring Across the Open Web and Dark Web

Once you sign up, Bitdefender begins scanning both surface web sources – such as forums, data brokers, and public databases – and the dark web for your personal information, including email addresses, login data, phone numbers, and other sensitive identifiers. If it finds your information exposed, you’ll get real-time alerts so you can take action quickly.

2. A Clear View of Your Digital Footprint

Instead of just telling you that your data may be out there, the service compiles a digital footprint, a comprehensive snapshot of where your personal data appears on the web and how much of it is publicly accessible. This helps you understand which services might have your information and what that might mean for your privacy.

3. Identity Protection Score — A Simple Health Check for Your Digital Identity

A standout feature is the Identity Protection Score, which gives you a numerical view of how well your identity is protected based on your exposure to data breaches and how sensitive the leaked information is.

• The score helps you understand your risk level at a glance — higher is better, and a rising score means fewer exposures and cleaner hygiene online.
• It also includes a personalized risk map that shows why your score looks the way it does and what areas need attention.
• This makes it much easier to prioritize steps you can take to reduce your online risk, like tightening account security, removing old accounts, and updating exposed credentials.

4. Actionable Guidance and Support

When Bitdefender finds a risk, it doesn’t just alert you, it also suggests specific actions you can take to address it. You’ll see step-by-step recommendations to help you close gaps in your digital identity protection.

And because it’s a web-based service with no local software to install, it works alongside your existing security setup without slowing devices down.