Google has announced that soon all Gmail users in the United States will be able to use the dark web report security feature to check if their email address has been found on the dark web.
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The company announced at the annual Google I/O developer conference that the feature will be available in the coming weeks and that access will also be expanded to select international markets.
When enabled, the new feature will allow Gmail users to detect if their email addresses have been leaked on the dark web and take steps to protect their data according to Google's guidelines.
For example, it is recommended that they enable two-step authentication on their Google accounts to protect these accounts from hacking attempts.
“ While previously only available to Google One subscribers in the US, we’re expanding access to the dark web report in the coming weeks, so anyone with a Gmail account in the US will be able to run scans to see if Gmail feature their address appears on the dark web and will receive guidance on what actions they need to take to protect themselves ,” said Jen Fitzpatrick, vice president of Google Core Services .
Google will regularly notify Gmail users to check whether their email has been linked to any data breaches revealed in underground cybercrime forums.
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The dark web report, rolled out to Google One in the United States in March 2023, provides an easy way for them to receive notificationsin the event that their personal information is discovered on the dark web.
“The Google One dark web report helps you scan the dark web for personal information — like your name, address, email address, phone number, and social security number — and will alert you if it’s found,” said Esteban Kozak, Director of Product Management for Google One.
Google One subscribers can enable Dark web monitoring by creating a profile with their details. To do so, they simply need to go to Google One and then click on “Settings”, then “Dark web reporting” to start monitoring.
The company states that it is possible to delete all personal information added to the profile by removing the profile from the dark web reporting settings. At Google I/O, Google announced that it has improved its Safe Browsing service to identify and avoid 25% more phishing on Chrome and Android.
The company has added a new feature to deal with spam emails in Google Drive and an easy way to delete search history in Google Maps.
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Kozak said that Google One users are also shown results with “other relevant information that may be found in these data breaches.”
“And if information that matches is found on the dark web, we will notify you and provide you with instructions on how you can protect that information,” Kozak said.
