A new line in Google's privacy policy means people who connect Gmail or Photos to Search's Personal Intelligence may see ads shaped by that content, The Verge reports.
Google has changed one sentence in its privacy policy, and it matters if you've switched on its personalized AI features. According to The Verge, which credits Android Authority with spotting the change, people who connect Gmail, Drive or Google Photos to Search through Personal Intelligence may now see ads targeted using that content.
What changed in the policy
The old wording simply said Google wouldn't use your Drive, Gmail or Photos data for personalized ads. As of October 16, the policy adds an exception: "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads," The Verge reports.
Personal Intelligence is the feature that lets AI Mode and other Search tools draw on your connected apps. Google's own announcement describes it as opt-in, available for personal accounts and not for Workspace business, enterprise or education users, and says you can turn the connections on or off at any time. Google also says AI Mode doesn't train directly on your Gmail inbox or Photos library.
The new policy language adds the ad side of the bargain. One passage quoted by The Verge says Search may process data you allow it to access "to personalize content, including ads."
What Google says stays off limits
Per the report, advertisers don't get access to your Drive, Gmail or Photos information, or personally identifying details such as your name or email address. Google also says it won't show ads based on sensitive categories like race, sexual orientation, religion or health.
So this isn't a case of Google handing your inbox to marketers. The question is narrower: whether the things you shared so the AI could be more helpful can also shape the ads you see.
How to opt out
The Verge says you can stop this by choosing which apps stay connected to Search's Personal Intelligence features, or by turning off Personalized Recommendations entirely on the Search Services Personalization page in your Google account settings.
Our view: the change is disclosed, and the feature is opt-in, but that is a thin comfort for anyone who connected Gmail to get better trip suggestions and never reread the privacy policy. Opting in for convenience and opting in to ad targeting are different decisions, and the setup flow ought to make that plain. We haven't seen how Google presents this inside the settings screens, so that's a judgment about the policy text, not a test of the product.
Google hasn't been quoted in The Verge's report beyond the policy language itself. If you use Personal Intelligence, checking your connected apps takes about a minute.
Picture credit: Google (blog.google)
