Google Policy Tweak Lets Gmail and Photos Data Shape Ad Targeting

A privacy policy revision that took effect on October 16 now permits Google to use content from Gmail, Drive, and Photos to target advertisements. The change ties this capability directly to the company's Personal Intelligence feature, which began its beta rollout earlier this year. This development represents a shift from previous policy language that explicitly stated personalized ads were not based on user content from these specific services.

The updated policy text introduces a conditional exception. It now 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. Android Authority first identified the wording change, and The Verge subsequently reported on the implications. The mechanism appears to be triggered when users enable Personal Intelligence for their accounts. This feature allows Gemini to access shared data across Google apps, including Gmail, Photos, Search, and Drive.

The policy details how this data exchange functions in practice. Users can grant specific services, such as Search or the Gemini apps, access to data from other products they use. In return, Google provides a more personalized experience. The document provides a concrete example: Search may process data a user permits it to access in order to personalize content, which includes ads. This means that while the contents of an inbox or photo library are not handed directly to advertisers, the data connected through Personal Intelligence can inform targeting decisions on the Search engine.

Google maintains that the policy does not change its stance on personally identifying information. The document still states that advertisers will not see details such as a user's name or email address without explicit permission. This language remains consistent with earlier versions of the policy. The distinction is that the targeting is now based on the content and context of the user's digital life, provided the user has opted into the cross-service data sharing.

Personal Intelligence remains an opt-in feature for now. Users who wish to review their settings can navigate to the Data and privacy section of the My Account page. From there, they should select Personalization settings and then choose Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search services. This page allows users to see which services have access to their data.

The same settings page includes a Turn off button that disables personalized recommendations entirely. This option provides a direct way for users to revert to a non-personalized ad experience if they prefer not to have their Gmail, Drive, or Photos data influence what they see in Search.