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Google use your Gmail: AI settings may shape ads
Has revised its privacy policy to say data from Gmail, Drive and Google Photos may inform personalized ads when users let services such as Search access it for…
Google’s updated privacy policy says content from Gmail, Drive and Google Photos may help shape personalized ads when users connect those services to Google’s AI features. The change applies to data made available to other Google services that support personalized ads, including Search.
The policy exception was added on October 16 which reported that Android Authority first spotted the update. Users who enable Personal Intelligence to give Search tools more context may therefore see ads informed by content from connected services
What changes when users connect Gmail
Google’s earlier policy said it would not use information from Drive, Gmail or Google Photos for personalized ads. The revised wording adds an exception: “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.”
Personal Intelligence lets AI Mode and other Search tools draw on connected information to provide responses or recommendations with more personal context. The policy describes how that access may also affect advertising. Search, for example, may process data users allow it to access to personalize content, including ads.
Google’s example is a person searching for “mountain bikes” in Search and then seeing sports equipment ads on YouTube. The company also says personalized ads may depend on a user’s settings, interests, activity or personalized content from Google services.
The practical consequence is a trade-off: connecting personal services may give Google’s tools more information for tailored responses, while also allowing that content to inform advertising. The policy says the choice rests with users and the settings of the service accessing their data.
Advertisers do not receive the underlying data
Google says advertisers cannot access users’ Drive, Gmail or Photos information through this process. They also do not receive personally identifying details such as a person’s name or email address.
The company says it will not show ads based on sensitive categories including race, sexual orientation, religion or health. Those limits do not change the policy’s central point: data made available to eligible Google services can be processed to personalize ads, subject to settings.
The Verge reported the policy change and quoted Google’s terms describing how services such as Search or Gemini Apps may access data from Google Photos and Workspace apps such as Gmail and Drive. The terms say the access is intended to provide a more personalized experience and remains subject to the accessing service’s policies and settings.
Users can disconnect services
People who do not want connected personal data used for targeted ads can disconnect selected apps from Search’s Personal Intelligence features, according to the report. Google also offers an option to disable Personalized Recommendations through the Search Services Personalization settings page.
Those controls let users choose between keeping specific connections and turning off recommendations altogether. The change does not mean advertisers can browse private inboxes or photo libraries; it means eligible Google services may use permitted data to help personalize advertising.
The policy’s new exception is dated October 16.
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