Google has announced that it is rolling out its dark web monitoring service to all Gmail users in the US to offer even greater levels of protection starting late July 2024.
The feature was previously exclusive to members who paid for Google One’s premium version. This moves forward Google’s commitment toward consumer privacy and safety; it alerts them if their email addresses appear on the dark web to take necessary actions, reducing the risk of potential threats.
It will be rolled out in the coming weeks to U.S. users and soon after become more widely available. Google made the announcement during its recently held Google I/O event, where it said that it was further enhancing user safety.
The service scans for compromised personal information exposed in data breaches. Users are given notifications and guidance on how they can protect themselves if their data is found.
The development follows a decision by Google to close its VPN service last month. “Extending dark web monitoring to all Gmail users bolsters our existing set of user protections and provides a powerful new tool to enhance the personal security of our users,” said Jen Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President of Core Services at Google.
The company now blocks over 99.9% of spam, phish attempts, as well as malware daily. This new feature strengthens that defense. New control features have also been added to Google to enable users to easily delete recent search history on Google Maps.
For this, a new “About this image” tool has also been included, which could be used by consumers for context of online images and their authenticity in regard to the source of such media content.
Such tools empower users with the necessary action to take at the right time to stay ahead of threats and manage their personal information in a safe manner. The dark web monitoring is a part of Google’s large move to boost online security for the users on its platform across the globe.
Other things to know:
This comes with its limitations, in that it cannot scan private forums or encrypted data and may not identify all breaches.
Security experts recommend using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and being careful when clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources to shore up protection against data breaches.
