CASE FILE III · PERSONAL DATA REMOVAL
Is my data on the dark web?
“The dark web” sounds abstract until it's your login for sale. Here's how to check calmly - and what actually helps if your data is out there.
Check your email against known breaches
Free tools let you enter your email and see which known data breaches included it. If your email appears, it means a service you used was hacked and your details were exposed - not that you did anything wrong.
Change passwords - starting with reused ones
The real danger isn't one leaked password; it's the same password reused everywhere. Change it on any site where you reused it, starting with email and banking. Use a unique password per site.
Turn on two-factor authentication
Even if a password leaks, two-factor authentication (a code from an app or your phone) usually stops an attacker from getting in. Enable it on email, banking, and social media first.
Watch for targeted scams
Leaked data fuels convincing phishing - emails or texts that know your name, address, or recent purchase. Treat any unexpected “urgent” message with suspicion, especially if it asks you to click or pay.
Consider ongoing monitoring
A one-time check is a snapshot. New breaches happen constantly, so your data can surface months from now. Monitoring alerts you when your details appear in a new leak, so you can act before it's used.
If you've found your data exposed and don't know where to start, that first hour is the hardest. Continuous dark-web monitoring turns “did I catch everything?” into an alert that arrives the moment something new surfaces.
You don't have to handle this alone.
Talk to a guardian