Google Privacy Shift: Gmail and Photos Data Now Feed Targeted Ads

For years, Google has promised that the contents of your personal files remain safe from advertising algorithms, but that wall has come down as of October 16th.

Google has updated its privacy policy to include a significant exception regarding the use of personal data for advertising. Previously, the company's policy stated it would not use information from Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos for personalized ads. The revised terms now state that Google will refrain from doing so, “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.”

The policy change is linked to the expansion of AI capabilities, specifically the Personal Intelligence feature. This tool allows various Google Search functions, including AI Mode, to access content from other applications to generate better responses. By enabling these tools to provide more accurate recommendations, users are also inadvertently opening the door for that data to be used in ad targeting.

If you have connected your Gmail, Drive, or Google Photos to AI Mode or other Search tools through Personal Intelligence, your experience may change. The policy outlines that “Search may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads.” This suggests that information you have shared to improve AI interactions could now influence the types of advertisements you see.

The updated policy explains that based on user settings, Google may show ads “based on your interests, activity, or personalized content from Google services.” To illustrate this capability, the policy provides an example: “if you search for ‘mountain bikes,’ in Search you may see ads for sports equipment on YouTube.”

Despite this shift, Google maintains specific boundaries regarding privacy and data sharing. The company has confirmed that advertisers do not gain direct access to the actual content of your Drive, Gmail, or Photos. Furthermore, advertisers do not receive personally identifying details such as names or email addresses. Google also stated it will not display advertisements based on sensitive categories, including race, sexual orientation, religion, or health.

For users who wish to keep their data private from ad targeting, there are options available to reverse these settings. Individuals can choose to disconnect specific applications from Search’s Personal Intelligence features. Alternatively, users can disable Personalized Recommendations entirely via the Search Services Personalization settings page.

The update to these terms was identified by Android Authority. As of October 23rd, users should review their personal settings if they wish to control how their personal data is utilized in relation to advertising.