Google One Adds Dark Web Monitoring, Expands VPN Access to All Plans

pcmag.com:

Google today made its Google One subscription a little more attractive by expanding the features available across Basic, Standard, and Premium plan options.

Until now, gaining access to the VPN by Google One service meant signing up for the $9.99-per-month Premium plan. However, Google is now relaxing that rule so subscribers to the Basic plan ($1.99 per month), and Standard plan ($2.99 per month) can also take advantage of it.

The VPN is available on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS, and a connection can be made via one of 22 countries. Google also allows you to share VPN access with up to five other people as long as they are listed on your Google One subscription.

The new feature being introduced today is dark web monitoring for subscribers in the US. It's not possible to access the dark web without use of a specialized browser, so if your details have been stolen and shared on there it's unlikely you'll be able to check. Google is going to do the hard work by scanning the dark web for your personal details (e.g. name, address, email, phone number and Social Security Number), and reporting back.

If Google does find your details on the dark web, then guidance will be provided on what to do next, which will depend on exactly what type of data has been stolen.

Google One also offers priority support, Google Photos editing features, and access to more cloud storage depending on your plan. Basic users get 100GB, Standard users get 200GB, and Premium users get 2TB (a 5TB plan also exists). There's also 3% Google Store rewards for Standard users, which increases to 10% for Premium users.

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