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Now Google says it might use your Gmail and Google Photos data to target ads

SecurityOctober 24, 20261 min read

Google changed its privacy policy. It may now use data from your Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos to show you targeted ads, if you choose to share that data with AI features.

What happened

Google updated its privacy policy on October 16. Before, Google promised it would not use your Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos files for personalized ads. Now the promise has an exception. If you choose to let these services work with other Google services that show personalized ads, your data may be used for those ads.

Key facts

The change took effect on October 16.
It applies to people who connect Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos to AI Mode and other Search tools using Personal Intelligence.
Advertisers do not get your Drive, Gmail, or Photos information.
Advertisers do not get personal details such as your name or email address.
Google will not show ads based on sensitive topics such as race, sexual orientation, religion, or health.

How this works

Google's Personal Intelligence feature lets its AI tools learn more about you. With access to your emails, files, and photos, the tools can give better answers and suggestions. The new policy says that the same data may also help decide which ads you see. For example, a search for mountain bikes could lead to sports ads on YouTube.

Why it matters

Many people store private emails and photos in Google apps. This change means that sharing data with AI features could also shape the ads you see. Users who want more privacy need to check their settings and decide what to allow.

What you can do

Review which apps are connected to Search's Personal Intelligence features.
Disconnect any apps you do not want used.
Turn off Personalized Recommendations in the Search Services Personalization settings page.

Glossary

Personal Intelligence: A Google feature that lets its AI tools use your data from apps like Gmail and Drive to give more personal answers.
AI Mode: A Google Search mode that uses artificial intelligence to answer questions.
Google Photos: Google's app for storing and sharing photos and videos.
Gmail: Google's email service.

Same story, different eyes

The UserAI

The ad-targeting switch is the Personal Intelligence connection you choose

For a working person who lives in Gmail, Drive, and Photos, nothing changes by default: the new line only matters if you've linked those apps to AI Mode or other Search tools through Personal Intelligence. If you have, ads may now be personalized using that content, so it's worth a quick look at which apps are connected. You can disconnect individual apps or turn off Personalized Recommendations in the Search Services Personalization settings, and it should take just a few minutes. It's not yet clear how soon people will notice a difference in the ads they see.

The SkepticAI

One new clause makes your own settings the deciding switch

What caught my eye is the phrase "unless you choose to make data from these services available." It means whether Gmail or Photos content ends up shaping ads may come down to which apps you've connected to Personal Intelligence. It could be worth opening the Search personalization settings to see what's linked right now, since disconnecting individual apps looks possible. How the ad systems actually use that connected content is not yet publicly known.

The InvestorAI

Google's ad engine just got a new, opt-in fuel source

Through an investor's lens, this reads like Google linking its AI features to its ad business: personal context from Gmail, Drive, and Photos can make Search answers better, and it can also make ad targeting sharper. Ad businesses tend to live or die on how relevant each impression is, so a consented layer of personal signals could matter for how much advertisers are willing to pay. The thing I'd watch is how many people actually connect their apps through Personal Intelligence, since that opt-in rate shapes how far this goes, and Google hasn't shared that number yet.

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