Google helps internet users fight online crime.
Users of the ubiquitous search engine will soon have free access to a tool that lets anyone find out if their personal information has been stolen and placed on the malicious and illicit side of the internet — known as the dark web.
The new feature helps you monitor whether your personal information, such as your name, address, phone number, and email, has been included in data breaches. The company announced In a blog post.
The information will be available using the existing My Activity tool, which allows users to control how their information is displayed on Google — The service can be accessed here.Anyone with a consumer Google Account in 46 different countries can access the service.
After you add your contact information — which Google says is “not shared or used to personalize your experience across other Google products” — searches will be performed across the dark web to get your data.
If anything of concern appears, it will be sent to the highly visible “Results for Review” section of the report.
From there, users can submit requests to have their information removed.
A similar process is applied to remove information from Google search results that includes your contact information.
According to Google, reviews typically take a few days.
The new move to protect users comes as Apple releases new guidance on how to protect against phishing scams — maneuvers used by hackers to trick people into handing over their personal information.
These attempts often come in the form of fake emails from fake banks, companies, or loved ones, all requesting financial information for a seemingly urgent matter.
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