Enabling Personalized AI Features May Trigger Targeted Advertising

Google's updated privacy policy, which took effect on October 16th, now permits the use of data from services like Gmail and Google Photos for personalized advertising under certain conditions. This development alters a long-standing commitment by the company not to use content from its Drive, Gmail, and Photos services for ad targeting, a change first noted by Android Authority. The modification introduces a new exception to its previous promise about not using user data from these services for personalized ads.

The new policy text states that data from these services may be used for ads if a user chooses to make it available to other Google services. Specifically, the update adds a clause permitting the use of such data "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads." This means that using personalized AI features, which may require access to personal content, can now also lead to targeted advertising based on that content.

This shift is directly tied to features designed to enhance personalization, such as Google's Personal Intelligence function. Individuals who have enabled this for services like Search or AI Mode to get more tailored responses may consequently see ads based on the information these tools access. For example, connecting Gmail or Google Photos to a search feature could allow content from those services to influence the advertisements displayed to the user.

The company's policy explicitly states that Search "may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads." It further clarifies that personalized ads can be based on a user's interests, activity, or personalized content from other Google services. The policy provides an example where a search for a specific product, such as "mountain bikes," could lead to seeing ads for related sports equipment on other platforms like YouTube.

Despite this change, the company maintains that advertisers do not receive direct access to the content within these services or personally identifying information such as a user's name or email address. Furthermore, there are restrictions on the categories of data used for ad targeting. The company will not show ads based on sensitive categories, including race, sexual orientation, religion, or health.

The policy text outlines a process where users may permit services like Search or Gemini Apps to access data from other Google services, such as Google Photos and Workspace apps including Gmail and Drive. This is intended to provide a more personalized experience, subject to the policies and settings of the accessing service. The example given is that Search may process data to personalize content, including ads.

For users who wish to prevent their personal data from being used for targeted advertising, there are settings available to control this. The company directs users to a specific settings page where they can disconnect apps from Search's Personal Intelligence features or disable Personalized Recommendations entirely. This allows for the management of which services can access personal data for personalization, and consequently, for advertising purposes.

The change in policy comes as of October 16th, 2026. It represents a significant shift in how personal content stored within the company's ecosystem may be utilized. The company's updated terms indicate that sharing data for improved AI recommendations also entails opening it up for more personalized ads, a connection that was not explicitly made in its previous policy.