Dark Web Report is a Google One service that aims to protect people from data breaches. It is one of the two new security features that Google announced in March 2023 as part of its Google One cloud storage subscription. Alongside the launch of dark web monitoring, Google also announced the expansion of its VPN service, which will now be available to all Google One subscribers at no extra cost. It was earlier only available to folks on the 2TB plan or higher.
The most notable new feature in the Google One suite is 'Dark Web Report' that helps users scan the dark web to check if their personal information is available for sale. Google says the service can check for the user's name, address, email, phone number, and Social Security number, and notify them if any of this information is found. Not only that, Google will also offer advice and guidance on how users can protect that information.
Google One's Dark Web Report
As an example of how the new feature will work, Google says that if somebody's Social Security number was found on the dark web during the monitoring process, the user will be advised to report it to the government as stolen. The company will also advise the victim on how to protect their credit. This could be a helpful step, as most people are unaware about how to protect their information online, and what to do in case their private information is exposed in a data breach.
Dark Web Report will be available on an opt-in basis, meaning users will have to manually enable it and provide Google with the information that they would like to monitor. In addition to the information in the users' monitoring profile, Google will also show "other related info" that could also be found on the dark web during the monitoring process. Google reassures users that all information available with the company, either supplied by the users or scraped from the dark web, will be handled in accordance with its privacy policy. Users will also be able to delete any information from their profile or stop monitoring at any time.
With data breaches becoming more common, stringent measures to protect critical financial, medical, and other personal information are more important than ever. However, people are often at the mercy of large corporations and government agencies for secure data storage, and history indicates that they don't always do a great job of it. Google One's latest feature is a great new addition, and one that could help people better protect themselves in case they are affected by a data breach.
Source: Google