Google One users now have access to a dark web report feature, allowing you to be notified if your personal data is found on the dark web, with guidance on what to do.
What is the Dark Web Report?
Google’s dark web report alerts users if their personal information is detected on the dark web, and gives guidance on next steps and what to do.
When users set up their Google One account, they choose what information they want to check, such as address, date of birth, Gmail address, phone number, and usernames and passwords. Google’s tools use your profile information to see if a match can be found on the dark web.
If Google finds your data on the dark web, data will be displayed in censored form to maintain data privacy, and you’ll get guidance and tips on what to do.
Why is the Dark Web Report Important?
To show how important the Google dark web report is, our MD Anthony tried this feature and discovered his details had been leaked 16 times.
With a lot of our lives now spent online – from booking appointments, making payments and sharing photos – you want to ensure your personal information stays protected. Online identity fraud due to stolen information through data breaches is increasing, with a large amount of this data found on the dark web – a place that isn’t indexed by search engines and is a hard to reach place.
Google’s dark web report allows you to easily identify if your data has been leaked and shared on the dark web.
What is Google One?
The full dark web report is available if you have a Google One account – a subscription service with expanded cloud storage. In addition to extra storage for files and photos, Google One also allows you to have access to the Magic Eraser editing feature, Google support, Google Store rewards and a specialised Google VPN.
Safety with Google
The good news is, if you want to trial the feature but are not yet a Google One user, you can still scan the dark web for your email address here. Keeping your information and data safe is key to avoiding identity theft and fraud, and Google’s new features are a step in the right direction.
