Gmail and Photos data now eligible for search ads

Google revised its privacy policy on October 16, creating a mechanism that permits content from Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos to influence the advertisements displayed in Search. The update is linked to the company's Personal Intelligence feature, which has been in beta since the beginning of the year.

Earlier versions of the policy explicitly stated that personalized ads were not based on user content from these specific services. The new text modifies that statement by adding an exception. It now notes that this exclusion applies unless a user chooses to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.

The option to share this data corresponds to enabling Personal Intelligence. This feature allows Gemini to access information shared across the Google ecosystem, including Search, Gmail, Photos, and Drive. The policy outlines a specific workflow where users can grant Search or Gemini apps access to data from Workspace apps and Photos.

In exchange for this access, users receive a more personalized experience. The documentation provides a concrete example of how this functions. It states that Search may process the data a user allows it to access in order to personalize content, including the ads shown on the results page.

Google has not indicated that it is sharing the actual text of emails or the images in a photo library directly with advertisers. The change instead establishes a pathway for ad targeting to utilize the connected content found in these personal services. The company maintains its previous stance on identifying details.

The policy continues to state that advertisers will not see personally identifying information, such as names or email addresses, without the user's explicit permission. This language remains identical to earlier versions of the document. Personal Intelligence remains an opt-in feature for users.

Individuals can review their settings by navigating to the Data and privacy section of their My Account page. From there, they should select Personalization settings and then choose Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search services. A Turn off button on that page disables personalized recommendations entirely.