Google has been monitoring dark web leaks of stolen account information, such as phone numbers and physical addresses, for Google One subscribers for about a year.
Starting at the end of this month, this service will be extended to anyone with a Google account. According to a Google support page detailing the transition, the free service will be accessible on Google's "Results about you" page.
Currently, if you visit the "Results about you" section, you can check for personal contact information that Google has indexed, such as home addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses.
You can also request to have this information removed from search results, helping to protect your online presence. Google aims to create a "combined solution to help users protect their online presence" with this move.
Both paid and free services, including "Have I Been Pwned?", scan the dark web for your data and send you alerts. For Google users, integrating the company's monitoring features into a single place to view potential personal information leaks is logical and user-friendly.
This change means that the dark web monitoring perks added last spring for over 100 million Google One subscribers (starting at $1.99 per month) have been removed.
Additionally, Google announced last month that its VPN by Google One service, another subscriber benefit, will shut down later this year. Even while these features probably weren't the main draws for Google One subscribers, it can be disappointing to see benefits end without a price decrease.
The primary reason for subscribing to Google One remains the additional storage for your Google account, which includes photos and Gmail. Other benefits include premium Google Meet video calling features, the ability to share storage with up to five people, and enhanced appointment scheduling in Google Calendar. However, these perks are not particularly compelling.
Google's Gemini-powered AI features might be worth considering for some users, but they are only available at higher tiers of Google One, starting at $19.99 per month. As a result, for most subscribers, the primary value of Google One continues to be the additional storage space.