Most of us have heard the scary sounding term “Dark Web”, but what exactly is the Dark Web? The Dark Web is the part of the internet that allows users and website operators to remain anonymous or untraceable, and it is only accessible by using special software. While there are some legitimate activities and communicating that happens on the Dark Web, unfortunately a lot of criminal activity also occurs there.
One common crime committed on the Dark Web is selling stolen data. Often after hackers successfully hack a company and steal its valuable data, they sell that data to other criminals on the Dark Web. This is why it may be helpful to invest in a Dark Web monitoring service that continuously scans the internet and Dark Web for your personal data. This is especially the case after you have been impacted by a data breach. While Dark Web monitoring services cannot clean up the illegal websites or remove your personal data, monitoring services can alert you when your personal data is exposed so you can implement additional security measures.

Features Dark Web monitoring services offer:
- Dark Web scanning for personal data
- Identity & Social Security Number Alerts
- Identity Theft protection
- Personal Identity monitoring
- Fictitious identity monitoring
- Credit monitoring
- Credit Freezing & Blocking
- Social media monitoring
- Stolen funds reimbursement
- Auto & Home Title monitoring
- Phone number takeover monitoring
- Bank account and 401k investment monitoring
- Buy now pay later alerts
- Coverage for lawyers and experts
- Sex offender registry reports
Some service plans may also include Antivirus software, VPN software, Password Managers, and anti AI fraud protection.
Here is a list of popular Credit Monitoring Service Providers. You will find that Dark Web monitoring services perform similarly and for the most part offer the same core set of features. However, some plans are more comprehensive and provide a wider range of monitoring capabilities in addition to and insurance for identity theft or financial losses.
Note: The service providers are not ranked by score or performance but are instead listed in alphabetic order.

Aura (Starting: $12 a month)

Experian IdentityWorks (Starting: $24.99 a month)
https://www.experian.com/protection/compare-identity-theft-products

ID Watchdog (Starting: $14.96 a month)
https://www.idwatchdog.com/identity-theft-protection-comparison

Identity Guard (Starting: $7.50 a month)

IdentityForce (Starting: $34.90 a month)


Surfshark Alert (Starting: $2.49 a month)