Updated Google privacy policy says your Gmail might be used for advertising
Turning on Personal Intelligence gives the company more data for ad targeting.
TL;DR
- Google's privacy policy update on October 16 appears to dismantle the firewall preventing ad personalization using data from Gmail, Drive, and Photos.
- The new Personal Intelligence feature, released in early 2026, allows users to connect data from multiple apps to Google AI products, potentially influencing ad personalization in AI search tools.
- Google claims ads will not be based directly on sensitive data like Gmail inboxes or Photos libraries, but acknowledges that data shared with AI search via Personal Intelligence could contribute to ad personalization.
- The company emphasizes that connecting apps through Personal Intelligence is opt-in, but users may enable it without fully understanding the consequences.
- To prevent personal data from informing ads, users must disable Personal Intelligence through Gemini settings or Google account settings.