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What Exactly Is the Dark Web? (In Plain English)

5 Min Read

TL;DR

  • You don’t need to visit the dark web to check your information. The page in our video is a labeled simulation with fake data.
  • Ordinary web, deep web, dark web. The dark web is a smaller set of sites that need special software to access. Not all of it is illegal, but stolen logins often get traded there.
  • Check known breaches at Have I Been Pwned and Google’s Password Checkup. A clean result does not mean your information was never leaked.
  • Google’s Dark Web Report ended in February 2026 and was only for personal Google accounts, not Google Workspace.
  • You generally can’t delete leaked data. Make it useless: change reused passwords, turn on MFA or passkeys, watch accounts, and consider a free credit freeze.
  • Call IT right away if a work account is involved.
  • Book a free Discovery Meeting to review Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace email security: (843) 324-5824 or advyon.com/contact/.
Watch: What Exactly Is the Dark Web? (In Plain English) (2:58)

Everyone talks about the dark web, but most people have never seen what a dark website looks like. In our YouTube video, Jason and Mabel explain it in plain English, then cover how to check known breaches and the honest answer about removal.

The page you see on camera is a labeled simulation with fake data. You do not need to visit the dark web, or install special software, to check your information.

What exactly is the dark web, in plain English?

Think of the internet like a city.

  • The ordinary web is the streets and storefronts you can find on a map — the sites a search engine can list.
  • The deep web is everything behind a locked door: your email, your bank, your company’s files. That’s not shady. That’s most of what you already use at work, including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
  • The dark web is a smaller set of sites that need special software to open, like a private room with a special key.

Not everything on the dark web is illegal. Journalists and people who need privacy use it too. But it is also where stolen logins and breach data often get bought and sold.

You don’t need to go there yourself. The look in the video — an odd, long address, a plain layout, and listings for stolen logins — is a labeled simulation with fake data, not a real site.

How do I check if my business email or password was leaked?

You don’t browse the dark web to find out. You check known breach records.

Go to Have I Been Pwned and enter a work or personal email. It will tell you whether that address showed up in a known, verified data breach. There’s also a separate password check that doesn’t send your full password. Google’s Password Checkup can warn you if a saved password appeared in a known leak.

One honest limit: these tools show known breaches. A clean result does not mean your information was never leaked. Have I Been Pwned’s FAQs say the same thing. A free notify-me option can watch addresses you control, but a single email search is not a review of every mailbox at your company.

Does Google still have a Dark Web Report?

No. Google discontinued the Dark Web Report in February 2026. Scans for new dark web breaches stopped on January 15, 2026, and the report itself was gone on February 16, 2026.

It was only for personal (consumer) Google accounts. It never covered Google Workspace business accounts.

Today, use Password Checkup for saved passwords and Have I Been Pwned for email addresses.

Can I remove my information from the dark web?

Once data is leaked and copied, you generally can’t delete it from the dark web. Anyone who promises to remove it is overselling.

The Consumer Federation of America has warned that identity-theft services cannot erase personal data from the dark web, or stop buyers from using it. Opting out of data brokers on public people-search sites is a different, surface-web process. It is not the same as “dark web removal.”

What you can do is make that leaked data useless:

  1. Check known breaches.
  2. Change reused passwords, especially on work email, and don’t reuse them. CISA recommends a strong, unique password on every account.
  3. Turn on MFA or passkeys.
  4. Watch your accounts, consider a free credit freeze with the three nationwide credit bureaus, and have someone monitoring for new leaks. IdentityTheft.gov explains what to do when information is lost or exposed.

You can’t erase it. But you can make it useless.

When should you call IT?

Right away if any of these show up:

  • A work email or password showed up in a breach.
  • A work password was reused on other accounts.
  • You get unexpected sign-in or MFA prompts.
  • You find unfamiliar mail rules or forwarding.
  • Coworkers or vendors are getting odd emails from you.

If it touches a work account, it’s IT’s call. Admins can reset or disable the account, revoke sessions, and review sign-in logs.

If a work Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace mailbox may already be compromised, use the first-hour checklist in What to do if your email is hacked: get to a clean device, reset the password and revoke sessions, check MFA, hunt forwarding rules, and warn contacts and finance.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is the dark web, in plain English?

It’s a smaller part of the internet that needs special software to access. The ordinary web is what search engines can list. The deep web is what sits behind a login, like your email or bank. The dark web is not all illegal — journalists and people who need privacy use it too — but it is also where stolen logins and breach data often get traded.

How do I check if my business email or password was leaked in a data breach?

You don’t need to visit the dark web. Enter a work or personal email at Have I Been Pwned to see whether it appeared in a known breach. Google’s Password Checkup can warn you if a saved password appeared in a known leak.

Does Google still have a Dark Web Report?

No. Google discontinued it in February 2026, and it was only for personal Google accounts, not Google Workspace. Use Password Checkup for saved passwords, and Have I Been Pwned for email addresses.

If a scan comes back clean, am I safe?

Not necessarily. These tools show known breaches, not everything. A clean result does not mean your information was never leaked.

Can I remove my information from the dark web?

Generally, no. Once data is leaked and copied, you can’t reliably delete it, and anyone who promises removal is overselling. You can make the leaked data useless: change reused passwords, turn on MFA or passkeys, watch your accounts, consider a free credit freeze, and have someone monitoring new leaks.

When should I call IT?

Right away for breached work email or passwords, reused work passwords, unexpected sign-in or MFA prompts, unfamiliar mail rules or forwarding, or coworkers or vendors getting odd emails from you. If it touches a work account, it’s IT’s call.

Want a second set of eyes on your email security?

ADVYON has helped Lowcountry businesses with technology since 2008, from Summerville and Mt Pleasant. Book a free Discovery Meeting and we’ll walk through known-breach checks, password hygiene, and MFA for your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace setup. Call (843) 324-5824 or visit advyon.com/contact/. See our managed IT services and managed security services pages for how we work.

Sources

Educational information, not a guaranteed cleanup, scan, legal advice, or a security audit. These tools show known breaches, not every leak. Sources checked Nov 11, 2026. The hosts in the video are AI-generated presenters.