Gmail and Photos Data Can Now Shape Ads

Google’s revised privacy policy now permits content from Gmail, Drive, and Photos to influence the advertisements users see, a change that took effect on October 16. This shift marks a departure from earlier versions of the policy, which explicitly stated that personalized ads were not based on user content from those specific services. The new language introduces an exception, allowing this data to be used if users enable the Personal Intelligence feature.

The update was initially identified by Android Authority and subsequently covered by The Verge. The current policy text reads that the previous exclusion applies unless a user chooses to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads. This mechanism ties directly to the Personal Intelligence feature, which began rolling out in beta at the start of the year. The feature allows Gemini to access data shared across Google apps, including Gmail, Photos, Search, and Drive, to create a unified user profile.

The policy details how this data exchange functions in practice. Users can authorize specific services, such as Search or Gemini apps, to access data from other applications like Workspace tools or photo libraries. In exchange for this access, users receive a more personalized experience. The document provides a specific example: Search may process data from a user’s authorized sources to tailor both content and ads. This means the context of an email or the subjects in a photo library can inform the advertising strategy deployed on the Search platform.

Google maintains that it is not directly handing over the contents of inboxes or photo libraries to advertisers. Instead, the revised language makes it possible for ads to be targeted using that connected content. The company’s stance on personally identifying information remains unchanged. The policy still specifies that advertisers will not see details such as a user's name or email address without explicit permission. This language regarding direct identification is identical to that found in previous iterations of the privacy terms.

Personal Intelligence remains an opt-in feature for the time being. Users concerned about the new data linkage can adjust their preferences through the My Account page. By navigating to the Data and privacy section, selecting Personalization settings, and choosing Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search services, individuals can review their current status. That page includes a Turn off button, which disables personalized recommendations entirely, offering a straightforward path for users who wish to sever the link between their private files and their ad experience.

The policy change effectively bridges the gap between consumer storage services and ad delivery systems. While the feature is still in beta, the policy language is already active. This allows Google to utilize cross-app data for ad targeting without requiring a separate permission for each individual service. The integration relies on the user’s decision to enable the Personal Intelligence toggle, which serves as the master switch for this data flow.