Google makes a privacy policy exception to use your Gmail and Photos data for ads

Google has been pushing Personal Intelligence to make its AI services useful. Instead of giving you generic answers, Gemini and Google Search can pull information from connected apps, including Gmail and Google Photos, to better understand what you’re asking and provide more relevant responses.

But there’s a privacy trade-off. Google updated its privacy policy to clarify that it could use information you choose to share with certain Google services to personalize ads. Given how much personal information many of us have in Gmail and Google Photos, it’s worth paying attention.

Google’s privacy policy still says it doesn’t use content from Gmail, Drive, or Photos to personalize ads by default. However, an important exception now applies to users who explicitly connect that information to Google services that offer personalized advertising. So, giving Google access to your personal information for smarter recommendations could also lead to more targeted ads, depending on the service and permissions involved.

You might ask Google Search for restaurant recommendations near a hotel you’ve booked. With access to your Gmail, Search could pull up your reservation details and suggest places nearby. That’s exactly the kind of helpful experience Personal Intelligence promises. But the updated policy also raises questions about whether information shared for such experiences could influence the advertising you see.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean Google automatically scans your private emails and photos to serve ads. The exception concerns information users choose to share with eligible services. Google also maintains that it doesn’t disclose personally identifying details, such as your name or email address, to advertisers without your permission.

Still, there’s a difference between using your information to answer a question and using it to decide which advertisements might interest you. Users comfortable with the former might not be happy about the latter.

Fortunately, you can control this. If you’d rather prevent Google Search from accessing information in your connected Google apps, here’s what you can do:

1. Open your Google Account and navigate to Data & privacy.
2. Under Personalization & activity, select Personalization settings.
3. Choose Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search Services.
4. Find Connected Content apps under Additional Personal Intelligence.
5. Disconnect Google Workspace and Google Photos if you don’t want Search accessing your content.

Alternatively, you can disable Personalized Recommendations entirely from the Search Services Personalization page.

Remember that disconnecting an app doesn’t necessarily erase information Google has already saved. Data stored in Search Services History may remain even after you disconnect the app or delete the original email or photo.

Personal Intelligence could make Google Search much more helpful, especially when it can understand your plans, preferences, and everyday activities without making you explain everything from scratch. But that convenience shouldn’t make it harder to understand where your personal information ends up. If you’re giving Google access to years of emails and photos, knowing exactly what you’ve agreed to matters as much as getting better AI-powered answers.