Gmail and Photos linked to Personal Intelligence may inform ads
A new line in Google’s privacy policy adds a condition to its promise not to base personalized ads on Gmail, Drive and Photos content.
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Google edited the ad personalization section of its privacy policy on October 16, 2026. The Verge reports that people who have connected Drive, Gmail or Google Photos to AI Mode and other Search tools through Personal Intelligence “may now see ads targeted on the basis of that content.” Android Authority spotted the change.
You can disconnect those apps, or turn off Personalized Recommendations entirely, on the Search Services Personalization settings page. If you run your business from a Google account, that page is worth a few minutes this week.
The short version
- Google edited the ad personalization section of its privacy policy on October 16, 2026.
- Google says linking your apps is entirely opt-in.
- Advertisers do not get your Drive, Gmail or Photos information, or your name or email address.
- One settings page allows you to disconnect apps or disable Personalized Recommendations.
What changed in Google’s privacy policy
The edit sits in the section on ad personalization. Ars Technica says that section used to carry a clear limit: Google did not show personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail or Photos.
The new line reads: “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.”
The policy also describes how data can move between Google services:
“You may choose to allow certain Google services, including services like Search or Gemini Apps, to access data from other Google services you use, such as Google Photos and Workspace apps like Gmail and Drive, in order to provide you with a more personalized experience, subject to the policies and settings of the accessing service. For example, Search may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads.”
A second passage covers personalized ads more broadly. It says that, depending on your settings, Google may also show you personalized ads based on your interests, activity, or personalized content from Google services. Its example: if you search for “mountain bikes” in Search, you may see ads for sports equipment on YouTube.
How Personal Intelligence fits in
Google released Personal Intelligence in early 2026. It allows users to hand data from multiple apps to Google AI products. The idea is that added context from your existing data will lead to better AI answers.
The pitch is that linked tools can provide better responses or recommendations by knowing more about you.
The feature connects your data to the Gemini app and also to features like AI Mode search. The two differ on ads today.
| Product | Linked through Personal Intelligence | Ads today |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini app | Yes | Does not currently have ads |
| AI Mode and other AI search tools | Yes | You may see sponsored content |
What Google says, and how Ars Technica reads it
Google gave a full statement:
“Connecting your apps is entirely opt-in. Ads will continue to be relevant to things like your query, the context of the response and your interests. Ads will not be based directly on your Gmail inbox or Photos library, and as always, sensitive information will not be used to tailor ads.”
Ars Technica is blunter. It calls the statement “essentially a roundabout way of confirming that Workspace and Photos data may inform ads.”
Its case runs through AI Mode. With your apps linked, summaries and insights from your data may inform the answers you get. In its reading, the privacy policy now spells this out.
Google rules out ads based directly on your inbox or Photos library. The opposing case is about influence that arrives through AI Mode answers. If your Gmail holds client conversations, that gap is the thing to weigh.
What is still unknown
- Which services count. The new line refers to “other Google services that support personalized ads.” The quoted policy text gives Search as its ad example. It does not list the rest.
- What summaries and insights cover. The reports do not say what Ars Technica’s “summaries and insights” would cover for a full work inbox or photo library.
- Whether the Gemini app stays ad-free. The app does not currently have ads.
- Whether Google told users. Neither report says Google notified people about the edit. Android Authority spotted it.
- Whether linked data travels beyond Search. The policy’s mountain bike example says a search in Search may bring ads for sports equipment on YouTube. The reports do not say whether data you link to AI Mode could travel the same way.
Related on Rokito: global AI policy trends and why ethical AI matters.
What to do this week
- List every Google account you use for work, including old or shared ones. Next to each, note whether it holds client email, business files or photos you would rather keep away from ad systems.
- For each account, open the Search Services Personalization settings page. Choose which apps to disconnect from Search’s Personal Intelligence features, or disable Personalized Recommendations entirely. Both options are on that page.
- If you keep an app linked, make it a deliberate choice. Write one line on why the better AI answers are worth it to you.
- Record the date and what you set. If Google edits the policy again, you can compare against where you started.
Questions people ask
Does this cover Google Workspace business accounts?
The reports do not say. The policy passage names Workspace apps like Gmail and Drive among the services that Search or Gemini Apps can be allowed to access. Neither report says whether paid business accounts are treated differently.
Can ads be based on your health or religion?
Google’s statement says sensitive information will not be used to tailor ads. Google won’t show you ads based on sensitive categories like race, sexual orientation, religion or health.
When did Personal Intelligence come out?
Google released it in early 2026. The privacy policy edit came later, on October 16, 2026. Both reports on the edit appeared on October 23.
Sources
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