A new clause lets data shared with Search and Gemini’s Personal Intelligence feed personalized ads from October 16.
Google updated its privacy policy on October 16 to add an exception to a prior promise. The earlier policy said the company would not use Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos content for personalized ads. The new clause allows that use when a user connects those services to other Google products that support personalized advertising.
Android Authority spotted the change. Google’s Personal Intelligence feature lets Search and AI Mode read data from Workspace apps and Photos to improve answers. Connecting those services now also feeds ad personalization, though advertisers never see the underlying content or identifying details such as a name or email address.
Any product that pipes Gmail, Drive, or Photos data into Google’s AI surfaces should treat ad targeting as part of the data flow. Security and data-governance reviews need to cover the linkage, not just model access. Enterprise administrators should map which users enabled Personal Intelligence and which connectors feed Search and Gemini Apps.
Users can disconnect individual apps from Search personalization or turn off Personalized Recommendations on the Search Services Personalization settings page. Watch whether Google extends the same terms to Gemini Apps and other surfaces, and whether regulators treat the clause as a material change to prior commitments.
What matters
- Google added the exception to its policy on October 16, covering Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.
- Teams connecting workspace data to AI features now inherit ad-targeting exposure by default.
- Watch whether Gemini Apps and AI Mode adopt the same terms and how opt-out settings behave.
Why it matters
Watch whether Gemini Apps and AI Mode adopt the same terms and how opt-out settings behave.
This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by The Verge. Source reference: https://www.theverge.com/tech/1017600/google-personal-intelligence-privacy-policy-ads-update.
Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.