Google may use Gmail, Drive and Photos data to personalize ads

Google has changed its privacy policy to say that content from Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos can, under certain conditions, be used to personalize ads. The company previously stated that it would not use data from these three services for personalized advertising. The new text adds an exception to that commitment.

The change takes effect on October 16. The policy still says data in these services is not used for personalized ads, but that no longer holds if a user chooses to make the data available to other Google services that support personalized advertising.

What the new exception means

The old wording simply said that data in Drive, Gmail and Photos was not used for personalized ads. In the new version, the end of that sentence now covers the case where a user opts to open data in these services to other Google services that support personalized ads.

In practice, this affects users who connect their Drive, Gmail or Photos accounts to AI Mode and other Search tools through Google's Personal Intelligence feature. The connection lets those tools learn more about the user and offer better answers and suggestions. But the same connection can now also mean seeing targeted ads based on that content.

What advertisers can and cannot see

According to the reported details, advertisers cannot access information in Drive, Gmail or Photos. Details that directly identify a person, such as a name or email address, are not shared with advertisers either. Google also says it will not show ads based on sensitive categories such as race, sexual orientation, religion and health.

The policy text gives examples of services like Search or the Gemini apps processing data a user has allowed them to access in order to personalize content and ads. More broadly, it explains that, depending on their settings, users may see ads based on their interests, their activity or personalized content across Google services. In one example, a user who searches for "mountain bike" in Search may see sports equipment ads on YouTube.

How to stay out of ad targeting

Users who do not want their personal data used for targeted ads can choose which apps stay connected to the Personal Intelligence features in Search. They can disconnect the relevant apps, or switch off Personalized Suggestions entirely from the Search Services Personalization settings page.

The change therefore affects users who choose to open their data to these AI features. Data shared for more accurate suggestions can also underpin personalized ads, so reviewing Personal Intelligence connections and personalization settings is a sensible step for anyone who wants to limit ad targeting.