Google Uses Data From Gmail and Google Drive to Target Ads, but You Can Stop It.
If you’ve enabled Google’s Personal Intelligence feature in hopes of receiving more personalized responses from Gemini AI, there’s a good chance more of your data is being used for targeted advertising than you realize. In a recent privacy policy update, Google quietly added an exception to how it processes information from Drive, Gmail, and Photos to personalize the ads you see—but there’s a way to opt out.
Google may use content from its apps to influence targeted advertising.
As Android Authority reports , Google typically doesn’t personalize ads based on content from Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos by default. However, this policy now allows data to be used for this purpose if you’ve connected these apps to other Google services, such as Personal Intelligence, that support personalized advertising. Personal Intelligence is a Gemini feature launched earlier this year that connects with other Google apps to provide you with more personalized, context-based responses in Gemini and Google Search’s AI mode.
While this level of personalization can be useful, a loophole in its privacy policy means that content you don’t explicitly share through search or AI interactions can still be used to determine which ads you see. Google’s privacy policy still states that the company doesn’t share personal data with advertisers, and the company has also stated that it doesn’t scan your email, photos, or files, and that ads won’t be based “directly on your Gmail or photo library.” It’s unclear how the company will address this issue, but if you’re concerned, you can disable these apps from its personal intelligence system.
You can disable Google apps from Personal Intelligence.
The personal intelligence feature is enabled by default and is optional, but as Ars Technica notes, users are given the option to turn it on and connect apps to it without realizing it or understanding the potential consequences of doing so.
You can check whether any of your Google apps with content are connected to Personal Intelligence and disable them if desired. In your Google account, tap “Data & Privacy.” Under “Personalization & Activity,” select “Personalization Settings,” then tap ” Manage Personalized Search Recommendations.” Under “Additional Personal Intelligence,” select “Connected Apps with Content” and disable any apps you don’t want to grant access to.