Google privacy policy change opens door for Gmail and Photos data to influence ads

Google, the world's largest advertising company, published an updated privacy policy on October 16. The change, spotted by Android Authority, affects the ad personalization section and may mean that data from the email service Gmail, the file storage service Drive and the photo service Photos can still shape which ads a user sees.

What changed

The previous policy stated plainly that Google does not show personalized ads based on a user's content from Drive, Gmail or Photos. The new wording replaces that clear limit with a less definite phrasing. As a result, it becomes possible to use data from these apps in ads when it is shared with other Google services.

The role of Personal Intelligence

Google already has a mechanism for that. In early 2026 the company released Personal Intelligence, a feature that lets users hand data from multiple apps to Google's AI products. The idea is that extra context from existing data produces better answers, but the feature is also proving to be a privacy concern.

Personal Intelligence links user data to the Gemini app and also to features such as AI Mode, the AI-powered mode of Google search. The Gemini app currently has no ads, but sponsored content may appear in AI search tools. Data shared with AI search through Personal Intelligence could therefore contribute to ad personalization.

Google's explanation

The company says this does not mean ads are "based directly" on personal data. In its statement, Google said connecting apps is entirely opt-in, ads will keep being relevant to the query, the context of the response and the user's interests, ads will not be based directly on the Gmail inbox or Photos library, and sensitive information will not be used to tailor ads.

Ars Technica concludes that the statement essentially confirms Workspace and Photos data may inform ads. If a user interacts with AI Mode while Personal Intelligence is enabled, summaries and insights drawn from their data may shape the answers they receive, and because the same data is used for ad targeting, personal data is an element of ad targeting in AI search.