Google's New Terms Open Door to Ad Targeting From Gmail, Photos Data

Google has altered the terms governing how it uses personal data stored in services like Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos. The company updated its privacy policy on October 16th, adding a new exception to a long-standing rule about not using this information for advertising purposes.

Previously, Google's policy stated plainly that it would not use data from these specific services to personalize ads. The updated policy now includes the phrase, “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.” This change was first reported by Android Authority.

The policy update is directly linked to Google's personalized AI features. Users who have enabled Personal Intelligence for tools like Search and Gemini Apps are allowing those services to access data from other Google products, such as Gmail and Drive, to provide more tailored responses. According to the new terms, this access also extends to the creation of personalized ads.

The policy text clarifies this connection: “For example, Search may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads.” It further states, “Depending on your settings, we may also show you personalized ads based on your interests, activity, or personalized content from Google services.”

Google has placed specific limits on this practice. The company maintains that advertisers do not receive access to the underlying data from Gmail, Drive, or Photos, nor do they receive personally identifying information such as a user's name or email address. Additionally, Google says it will not show ads based on sensitive categories like race, sexual orientation, religion, or health.

For users who wish to avoid this, Google provides an option. One can disable the connection between their data sources and personalization features or turn off Personalized Recommendations entirely through the Search Services Personalization settings page. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the policy change.