Google broadens ad targeting rules for data shared through Personal Intelligence

Google has added a privacy-policy exception that allows data from Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos to inform personalized advertising when users choose to make that data available to certain Google services.

The change applies to people who connect these services to Google Search, Gemini Apps, or other tools through Personal Intelligence. The feature lets Google’s AI systems use information from connected apps to produce more relevant answers, recommendations, and search results. Jess Weatherbed reports for The Verge that Google’s previous policy broadly said it would not use Drive, Gmail, or Photos content for personalized ads. The revised wording creates an exception when users share that data with services that support such ads.

Google says advertisers will not receive the underlying Gmail, Drive, or Photos content, nor identifying details such as a user’s name or email address. The company also says it does not use sensitive categories, including health, religion, race, or sexual orientation, to target advertising.

The important distinction is consent through connected services. A user might allow Search to access Gmail to identify a hotel booking and recommend nearby restaurants. Under the updated policy, information made available in that process may also help personalize ads, depending on the service and its settings.

How to limit access

Users who do not want connected app data used this way can review Search Services Personalization settings in their Google Account. Google offers two main options:

• Disconnect Google Workspace or Google Photos under Connected Content apps.
• Turn off Personalized Recommendations for Search Services entirely.

As Shimul Sood writes for Android Authority, disconnecting an app may not remove information already stored in Search Services History. Users may therefore need to review both connection settings and saved activity.

Sources

• Now Google says it might use your Gmail and Google Photos data to target ads – The Verge
• Google updates its privacy policy to clarify it could use data shared via Personal Intelligence from connected apps, including Gmail and Photos, to target ads – Android Authority