Identity protection
Identity protection, explained honestly
Dark-web and identity monitoring can help — within limits. We keep this category separate from antivirus and describe what these services can and cannot do.
Ad-supported — we may earn a commission from links on this page, at no cost to you, and it never changes our assessments. How this works.
Identity-protection services monitor for signs that your personal information has been exposed — for example, credentials appearing in known breach datasets — and help you react. They are not a substitute for antivirus, and they cannot undo a leak that has already happened.
What these services typically offer
- Monitoring of specified identifiers (email, phone, card numbers) against breach datasets
- Alerts when a match is found, with guidance on next steps
- In some cases, assistance or insurance for recovery — scope varies and must be verified per service
What they cannot do
- Remove data that is already circulating (data-removal services, a separate kind covered below, ask data brokers and people-search sites to take your listings down)
- Guarantee detection of every exposure
- Replace device security (that’s what antivirus is for)
A dedicated identity service: OmniWatch
OmniWatch is sold in the US only. Every plan monitors the dark web, your Social Security number, name and address and at least one credit bureau, with 24/7 identity theft restoration support and identity theft insurance; Elite and Family monitor all three bureaus. Our OmniWatch review covers the plans, the insurance terms and the free steps to take first.
Our pick
OmniWatch · Dedicated identity protection
Pick OmniWatch if you want identity and credit monitoring with 24/7 restoration help as the main product — not as an add-on to an antivirus suite.
- Credit monitoring from one bureau, or all three on Elite and Family
- 24/7 identity theft restoration support on every plan
More identity and data-removal services we review
These are US services too. Coveron, from Nord Security, is identity theft protection with credit monitoring and insurance on most plans. AntiBridge and RemoveMe do a different job: they look for your details on data broker and people-search sites and ask them to remove the listings, with no credit monitoring or identity theft insurance. Each review sets out what the service's own pages say, where they contradict each other, and the free steps you can take yourself.
Identity protection
Coveron · Identity and scam protection from Nord Security
Pick Coveron if you want credit, bank-account and dark web monitoring with HSB-issued insurance and a case manager, for yourself or a whole family on one plan — not if you live in New York, want a phone app, or only need the free credit freeze.
- Three-bureau credit monitoring on Full Protection and family plans
- Family plans for two or five adults plus all children
Data removal
AntiBridge · Exposure scan and data-broker removal
Pick AntiBridge if you mainly want your details found and taken off data broker and people-search sites, starting with a free search — not if you want credit monitoring, identity theft insurance or restoration help.
- Data brokers, breach records and the dark web in one report
- Opt-out requests to data brokers sent or prepared for you
Data removal
RemoveMe · Data broker opt-outs, done for you
Pick RemoveMe if you're in the US and want someone else to file and re-file data broker and people-search opt-outs, tracked on a web dashboard — not if you need a published list of covered sites or a refund window, or you'll try the free opt-outs first.
- Opt-out requests filed, then re-filed when brokers republish
- Web dashboard tracking scans, requests and removals
Further reading
- How to protect yourself from identity theft — the free steps first, and what to do if it happens
- What identity protection covers — monitoring, alerts and restoration, in detail
- Credit freeze vs identity monitoring — what each one stops