Technology and Scienceupdated 45m ago2 min read
Google Updates Privacy Policy To Use Gmail And Photos Data For Personalized Ads
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Google updated policy to allow Gmail and Google Photos data for personalized ads. Use occurs when users connect these services through Personal Intelligence.
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Policy shifts on ads
Google updated its privacy policy to add an exception to its prior statement that it would not show personalized ads based on content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos. Google’s updated language says personalized ads apply “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.”
Google’s Personal Intelligence feature connects data across apps, including Gmail and Google Photos, so Search or Gemini Apps can access information a user chooses to share. Google’s policy still says advertisers do not get personally identifying details like a name or email address, and Google says it will not show ads based on sensitive categories including race, sexual orientation, religion, or health.
How Personal Intelligence works
Google’s Personal Intelligence is described as an opt-in mechanism that lets Gemini and Google Search pull information from connected apps, including Gmail and Google Photos, to provide more relevant responses. Google’s policy text says users may “choose to allow certain Google services, including services like Search or Gemini Apps, to access data from other Google services you use, such as Google Photos and Workspace apps like Gmail and Drive.”
The Verge says anyone who has connected Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos to AI Mode and other Search tools via Personal Intelligence may now see ads targeted on the basis of that content. Ars Technica points to Google’s statement that “Connecting your apps is entirely opt-in,” and it adds that ads “will not be based directly on your Gmail inbox or Photos library.”
Controls and what changes
Google’s policy update frames the change as tied to what users connect, and it says Search may process some of the data a user allows it to access “to personalize content, including ads.” Android Authority’s described setup directs users to Data & privacy under My Account, then Personalization settings, then “Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search services.”
“Search may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads.”
The Verge says users can prevent personal data from being used for targeted ads by choosing which apps to disconnect from Search’s Personal Intelligence features or disabling Personalized Recommendations via the Search Services Personalization settings page. 9to5Google adds that users can disable Personalized Recommendations entirely by clicking the Turn off button on the page for Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search services.