Google Privacy Policy Change Opens Door to Ads Targeted Using Gmail and Photos Data

Google has revised its privacy policy in a way that could allow content from Gmail, Drive and Photos to shape the ads people see. The change took effect on October 16, one week before this report, and it is tied to the company's Personal Intelligence feature.

The update was first spotted by Android Authority and later covered by The Verge. Earlier versions of the policy said personalized ads were not based on a user's content from Drive, Gmail or Photos. The sentence now continues with an exception: that applies "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads."

The wording is broad, but the choice it describes appears to be turning on Personal Intelligence for an account. The feature began rolling out in beta at the start of this year. It lets Gemini draw on data shared among Google apps, including Gmail, Photos, Search and Drive.

The policy also explains how this could work in practice. Users may allow certain Google services, such as Search or the Gemini apps, to access data from other services they use, including Photos and Workspace apps like Gmail and Drive, in exchange for a more personalized experience. The policy gives an example: Search may process some of the data a user lets it access in order to personalize content, including ads.

In effect, Google has not said it is handing the contents of a person's inbox, cloud storage or photo library to advertisers. But the revised language makes it possible for ads to be targeted using that connected content in places such as Search.

Google's position on identifying details has not changed. The policy still says advertisers will not see personally identifying information, such as a user's name and email address, without the user's permission. That language is the same as in earlier versions.

Personal Intelligence remains opt-in for now. People who are uneasy about the change may want to review their account settings. To do so, open the Data & privacy section of the My Account page, choose Personalization settings, and then select Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search services.

That page also has a Turn off button, which disables personalized recommendations entirely.