Blink and you missed it: Google gave itself the right to use your Gmail, Drive, and Photos to personalize ads
Google has changed an important rule in its terms regarding the use of user content stored in Drive, Photos, and Gmail. Until October 16th, the document stated:
We don’t show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos.
The new terms extend that passage with some strings attached:
We don’t show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos, unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.
(It’s worth browsing the history/archive of the terms. There’s been a lot of activity since Gemini launched.)
It’s not as if Google will start actively combing through your emails, photos, and files, but sharing anything with, say, Gemini or AI Mode in Search makes that content fair game for ad personalization. (Pretty vague wording, huh? Probably on purpose.) Given how much Google nags its users to try AI stuff, it’s easy to share something without noticing.
Android Authority, the first to spot this concession in the new terms, recommends unlinking connected apps from your Google account in the privacy settings. I’ll admit I couldn’t find the screen they mention. Maybe because everything was already turned off in my dusty old Google account? Who knows.