Google links Gmail and Photos content to ad targeting in new policy

Google revised its privacy policy on October 16 to permit the use of Gmail, Drive, and Photos content for ad targeting. This change removes a previous restriction that barred personalized ads from relying on data in those specific services. The new language creates an exception for users who enable the Personal Intelligence feature.

The policy update was first identified by Android Authority and subsequently reported by The Verge. The revision adds a clause stating that content-based ad targeting does not apply only if a user chooses to make data from these services available to other Google services. This option is tied to the Personal Intelligence rollout, which began in beta earlier this year. The feature allows Gemini to access data across Gmail, Photos, Search, and Drive.

The document explains that users can authorize services like Search or Gemini apps to access data from their Workspace applications. In exchange, Google may process that data to personalize content and ads within Search. For example, if a user enables this setting, Search can analyze data from their email or photo library to adjust the advertisements they see.

Google maintains that advertisers will not view personally identifying information, such as names or email addresses, without explicit user permission. This provision remains unchanged from earlier versions of the policy. The company has not stated that it is directly sharing inbox contents or photo libraries with third-party advertisers, but the revised text enables ads to be targeted using connected content.

Personal Intelligence remains an opt-in feature for all users. Individuals concerned about the change can adjust their settings through the My Account page. They should navigate to the Data & privacy section, select Personalization settings, and choose Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search services.

That page includes a Turn off button that disables personalized recommendations entirely. This setting controls whether Google uses data from services like Gmail and Photos to influence the ads displayed in Search.