Google revised its privacy policy effective Oct. 16 to allow content from Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos to personalize ads when users connect these services to the company's AI features. The change creates an exception to Google's long-standing promise not to use content from these three services for advertising purposes. Android Authority first spotted the policy update, which ties data sharing to Personal Intelligence—Google's system that lets AI Mode in Search and Gemini access user data for more tailored responses. The revision reflects Google's broader push to embed AI across its products while navigating privacy concerns around how user data feeds those capabilities.
Google Adds Conditional Exception to Privacy Policy
The updated policy states that Google doesn't show personalized ads based on content from Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads." This conditional clause marks a departure from the company's previous unqualified commitment. The policy change took effect Oct. 16 and applies specifically when users opt into connecting their data to AI-powered features.
Personal Intelligence Links AI Features to Ad Data
Personal Intelligence enables features like AI Mode in Search and Gemini to draw on a user's own data from connected apps. Connecting Gmail, Drive, or Photos to these tools delivers more tailored answers, such as surfacing a hotel reservation buried in an inbox. Under the revised policy wording, that same connected data can now also inform which ads a person sees. The feature remains off by default and requires users to actively opt into the connection.
Google States Limitations on Advertiser Access
Google emphasized that content from the three services still isn't used for ad targeting by default. The company stated that advertisers don't get access to the contents of anyone's Gmail, Drive, or Photos, and that it won't share personally identifying details without permission. According to Google's explanation, this means the company isn't scanning private emails and photos wholesale to sell ads, though users who opt into AI conveniences may be trading some ad privacy for them.
Users Can Disconnect Apps via Privacy Settings
Users can opt out by disconnecting the apps under Connected Content apps in their Google Account's Data & privacy settings, or by turning off personalized recommendations. Android Authority noted that previously collected data may linger in a user's Search history even after disconnecting. The quiet rollout follows Google's May action when its Chrome browser began silently installing a multi-gigabyte on-device AI model on users' computers, and the company separately removed a privacy claim tied to its Gemini Nano model.
FAQ
What did Google change in its privacy policy on Oct. 16?
Google revised its privacy policy to allow content from Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos to personalize ads when users connect these services to AI features like Gemini and AI Mode in Search. The change adds a conditional exception to Google's previous policy that prohibited using content from these three services for advertising.
How can users prevent their Gmail and Photos data from being used for ads?
Users can opt out by disconnecting the apps under Connected Content apps in their Google Account's Data & privacy settings, or by turning off personalized recommendations. However, previously collected data may remain in a user's Search history even after disconnecting, according to Android Authority.
