Google: Free dark web monitoring to protect your identity

Google is now making its dark web monitoring service free for private accounts. The Dark Web Report allows you to monitor your own identity for data leaks. Until the end of July, the report was only available as part of a paid Google One subscription. The service can now be used in 46 countries, some with different functions.

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Profile of up to ten email addresses

With Google's Dark Web Report, you can monitor a profile in one account consisting of up to ten email addresses and other data such as name, date of birth, postal address and up to three telephone numbers. The service searches for the specified personal data in the dark web, informs you of new results including details of the leaked data found and provides recommendations for action for each data breach found.

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Data leaks are an issue for almost everyone

If you register with your personal data, for example with companies or service providers, your data will be stored there and can be leaked unintentionally or stolen in a cyber attack. Data can also be lost unintentionally by authorities, institutions or private individuals; data breaches are usually caused by people.

The Dark Web Report started in Germany in Google One in mid-August 2023. Google justifies the removal of the Dark Web Report from the paid Google One subscription by saying that the function should be available to more Google users. A private Google account is required. The service is not available for Google Workspace accounts and accounts with parental supervision.

Monitoring your own identity

Despite due care, personal data can fall into unauthorised hands and those affected can become (repeated) victims of criminals not only as a result of this but also through subsequent actions.

In some cases, data from different data leaks is summarized, combined and thus enhanced. For example, your email address and password could be known from one data leak, and your email could appear in another data leak with other personal data such as your name, address or IBAN.

There are various free services for monitoring the dark web and your own identity for data leaks. The best-known service is Have I been Pwned, whose database is also used by the Firefox Monitor. The Hasso Plattner Institute and the University of Bonn use their own databases for their Identity Leak Checker instead.

(Mack)