Google One’s cheapest pricing plan is getting a lot better at protecting its users’ privacy after the company announced it now offers a VPN (opens in new tab) service as well as dark web monitoring for stolen data – all for just $1.99 a month.
In a news update (opens in new tab), the company announced that the expanding of VPN access to all Google One plans, with the rollout occuring over the next few weeks to users in 22 countries.
Furthermore, the new tools will be available for users across not just Android and iOS; but also for those on Windows and Mac computers.
Keeping an eye on the dark web
Users will also be able to share the VPN with up to five other people, if they’re on their Google One plan, the company added.
The launch marks a significant step forward for Google, whose VPN service was previously only available for users choosing its 2TB+ plans (at least $9.99 a month).
But this is not your typical VPN, as it’s not really designed to bypass geographic restrictions, but instead to mask the user’s IP address from networks and third parties. For comparison, iCloud+ has a similar feature called Private Relay, which costs $.99 (price varies by country, though).
Besides the VPN, Google One’s cheapest package now also offers dark web monitoring. In the same announcement, the company said it will “scan the dark web for your personal info — like your name, address, email, phone number and Social Security Number (SSN).”
Obviously, SSN is something the user will have to provide first, and if you’re unsure whether or not to provide Google with this data, the company said it will be “handled according to Google’s privacy policy and you can delete any info from your profile or stop monitoring at any time.”
In case Google finds anything about the users on the dark web, it will notify the user and offer “guidance on how you might protect that information.
The full list of countries able to enjoy the new services covers Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Via: 9To5Google (opens in new tab)
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