Google's privacy policy now has a loophole for using your Gmail and Photos data in ads

[zohaibahd]

Cutting corners: Plenty of people keep a big chunk of their lives stored in Gmail and Google Photos, from flight bookings and receipts to years of family pictures. For years, Google has said none of that content would be used to pick the ads they see. That promise now comes with an exception – and it applies to anyone who lets the company's AI dig through those apps.

The change sits in Google's updated privacy policy, which took effect on October 16 and was first spotted by Android Authority. The policy has long said, "We don't show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos." That line is still there, but it now ends with a qualifier: "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads."

A separate new passage says Search may process the data people let it access to personalize content, including ads.

The exception mostly concerns Personal Intelligence, an opt-in feature that lets Gemini and AI Mode in Search pull context from apps like Gmail and Photos. It launched for paying subscribers in January before reaching all US users in March. So if someone asks AI Mode for things to do on an upcoming trip, it can check their hotel confirmation in Gmail and old vacation pictures before answering.

While the search giant says ads won't be based directly on someone's Gmail inbox or Photos library, its support page explains that AI Mode may draw on summaries, excerpts, and inferences from connected apps, and that this same information may be used to show ads. Advertisers still can't access those apps, though, and sensitive categories like health, religion, and sexual orientation remain off-limits for ad targeting.

The company has also started testing ads in AI Mode for people with Personal Intelligence switched on. Back in March, it said that experience would stay ad-free for now, though it expected ads to work similarly for connected users down the line.

Gmail ads once worked quite differently. Google scanned free accounts to target them – a practice that drew lawsuits and steady criticism from privacy advocates. The company only stopped scanning inboxes for ad personalization in 2017, and Gmail kept showing ads targeted with other data like search and YouTube activity.

The new wording appears to be the first time since then that Google's own policy has allowed inbox content to play a part in ads, even if only indirectly.

Thankfully, there's still a way out. If you'd rather keep your inbox out of it, you can disconnect Gmail and Google Photos under Connected Content Apps, which can be found in your Google Account's Search Services Personalization settings.

Another option is turning off ad personalization in My Ad Center, though it doesn't necessarily stop connected apps from feeding the AI features.

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Google's privacy policy now has a loophole for using your Gmail and Photos data in ads

 

[yRaz]

Not only has the latest AI update made every android device I own run like absolutely garbage, I can't think of a single person who asked for any of this. The "shake to activate gemini" think is annoying. I'm also contantly getting my notifications on my S26 that I'm running out of ram and it is telling me to "restart for better performance" and my calendar app is completely broken. Also, setting alarms and reminders doesn't work right anymore? and this is stuff that I have used without issue for like 15 years.

It worked, there was never a problem that need solved, but my AI supository wasn't big enough so now they need to use a bigger one on me? And when the notifications to turn this garbage on can you replase the "maybe later" button with "no"? I keep trying to turn it off but every 3 or 4 days I get a notification "would like like to merge Gemini with blah blah blah" and the only opens I get are "yes" and "maybe later".

I have made my own AI agents on relatively low end hardware and know how terrifying the can be. I wouldn't run my local model on anything, I certainly wouldn't let google run their model on all my stuff.

Can't wait for calls to start popping up from HR with things like "hey, you sent a picture of a butthole to your manager, would you mind explaining that?" "Oh, that was just Gemini getting into my grindr profile and sending random pictures from my messages to people"

 

[Trapped Nowhere]

Be evil all the time

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Not only has the latest AI update made every android device I own run like absolutely garbage, I can't think of a single person who asked for any of this. The "shake to activate gemini" think is annoying. I'm also contantly getting my notifications on my S26 that I'm running out of ram and it is telling me to "restart for better performance" and my calendar app is completely broken. Also, setting alarms and reminders doesn't work right anymore? and this is stuff that I have used without issue for like 15 years.

It worked, there was never a problem that need solved, but my AI supository wasn't big enough so now they need to use a bigger one on me? And when the notifications to turn this garbage on can you replase the "maybe later" button with "no"? I keep trying to turn it off but every 3 or 4 days I get a notification "would like like to merge Gemini with blah blah blah" and the only opens I get are "yes" and "maybe later".

I have made my own AI agents on relatively low end hardware and know how terrifying the can be. I wouldn't run my local model on anything, I certainly wouldn't let google run their model on all my stuff.

Can't wait for calls to start popping up from HR with things like "hey, you sent a picture of a butthole to your manager, would you mind explaining that?" "Oh, that was just Gemini getting into my grindr profile and sending random pictures from my messages to people"

Sounds like yet another Samsung issue. No problem disabling all the gemini stuff on the thinkphone.

 

[yRaz]

Sounds like yet another Samsung issue. No problem disabling all the gemini stuff on the thinkphone.

there are hundreds of millions of active Samsung devices, however, that's looking completely around the issue. The issue is that this is the industry status quo for just about everything. There is no way to say "no" anymore regardless of brand. Sure, you can go fishing for a device that might give you root access and you can be relatively confident that your side of things is running how you want. But every app, every website you goto, every TV in the store, your refridgerator, there is no saying "no" anymore. And the article is about Google shoving AI up our rears and using a EULA to steal our data and sell it commercially.

If you want to boil this down to "it's your fault for buying a Samsung phone" then you're completely missing the point. I'm sure there are apps on iPhones that harass you every 30days for something, or that some update exists for the sole purpose of obfuscating you decline last month. These practices are anti-consumer and even illegal in many countries. What needs to happen is that not being a shitbag company needs to be a requirement inorder to do business somewhere. No "we own the glass" or forced arbitration clauses, no "youre dumb because you didn't read the EULA" nonsense. Our rights as consumers are being taken away and everything is getting worse because it. Buying an iPhone over a Samsung isn't going to be what changes the world.

 

[Win7user]

Google is not your friend, they're your enemy! They don't give two S**ts about you, or anyone else, which is why they continually get sued for wrong doing... Get a 4TB external hard drive and put your docs, pictures, and important data there. It's not rocket science.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

there are hundreds of millions of active Samsung devices, however, that's looking completely around the issue. The issue is that this is the industry status quo for just about everything. There is no way to say "no" anymore regardless of brand. Sure, you can go fishing for a device that might give you root access and you can be relatively confident that your side of things is running how you want. But every app, every website you goto, every TV in the store, your refridgerator, there is no saying "no" anymore. And the article is about Google shoving AI up our rears and using a EULA to steal our data and sell it commercially.

If you want to boil this down to "it's your fault for buying a Samsung phone" then you're completely missing the point. I'm sure there are apps on iPhones that harass you every 30days for something, or that some update exists for the sole purpose of obfuscating you decline last month. These practices are anti-consumer and even illegal in many countries. What needs to happen is that not being a shitbag company needs to be a requirement inorder to do business somewhere. No "we own the glass" or forced arbitration clauses, no "youre dumb because you didn't read the EULA" nonsense. Our rights as consumers are being taken away and everything is getting worse because it. Buying an iPhone over a Samsung isn't going to be what changes the world.

You dont need root access, you just need a phone that doesnt have **** software. Samsung does not fit this category. Their hideous butchering of Android has resulted in garbage implementation for years that people just put up with instead of buying the competition. This is not a problem on any of the Motorola, Iphone, or Pixel phones in the family or friend group. Notice which brand isnt in there?

My smart TV doesnt force me to acknowledge it every 30 days. Neither does my parents smart fridge, or smart TV, or smart thermostat. None of our google, Motorola, or iphones do that. This is a you problem, you bought a Samsung device that forces this garbage on then complain you are treated like cattle. Stop buying their garbage.

If you just cant figure out how to stop notifications on anything, this sounds like a YOU problem. Others can figure it out just fine. Perhaps you should try using that Gemini thing you hate so much to figure out the problem for you?

 

[yRaz]

You dont need root access, you just need a phone that doesnt have **** software. Samsung does not fit this category. Their hideous butchering of Android has resulted in garbage implementation for years that people just put up with instead of buying the competition. This is not a problem on any of the Motorola, Iphone, or Pixel phones in the family or friend group. Notice which brand isnt in there?

My smart TV doesnt force me to acknowledge it every 30 days. Neither does my parents smart fridge, or smart TV, or smart thermostat. None of our google, Motorola, or iphones do that. This is a you problem, you bought a Samsung device that forces this garbage on then complain you are treated like cattle. Stop buying their garbage.

If you just cant figure out how to stop notifications on anything, this sounds like a YOU problem. Others can figure it out just fine. Perhaps you should try using that Gemini thing you hate so much to figure out the problem for you?

Its my work phone anyway, I have a personal phone is a Pixel 9. I don't hate Gemini, you're deflecting. This kind of thing happens after updates all the time on all types of devices across all industries. I don't know how you can't notice it unless you've just become desensitized to it.

 

[jdrch]

The inevitable has arrived.

 

[p51d007]

LOL, and people think that "free storage" is just google being nice.
ANYTHING you put on google, use their email or anything associated
with google is USED BY THEM. Duh!

 

[GeoffreyA]

Sounds like yet another Samsung issue. No problem disabling all the gemini stuff on the thinkphone.

I think the problem is the flagships, which are full of feature creep. On my lower-end but year-old Samsung, I have no Gemini, though admittedly, I might have disabled or removed it. Other than some poor UI choices here and there, Samsung's implementation of Android works well.

there are hundreds of millions of active Samsung devices, however, that's looking completely around the issue. The issue is that this is the industry status quo for just about everything. There is no way to say "no" anymore regardless of brand. Sure, you can go fishing for a device that might give you root access and you can be relatively confident that your side of things is running how you want. But every app, every website you goto, every TV in the store, your refridgerator, there is no saying "no" anymore. And the article is about Google shoving AI up our rears and using a EULA to steal our data and sell it commercially.

If you want to boil this down to "it's your fault for buying a Samsung phone" then you're completely missing the point. I'm sure there are apps on iPhones that harass you every 30days for something, or that some update exists for the sole purpose of obfuscating you decline last month. These practices are anti-consumer and even illegal in many countries. What needs to happen is that not being a shitbag company needs to be a requirement inorder to do business somewhere. No "we own the glass" or forced arbitration clauses, no "youre dumb because you didn't read the EULA" nonsense. Our rights as consumers are being taken away and everything is getting worse because it. Buying an iPhone over a Samsung isn't going to be what changes the world.

Unfortunately, that's the direction these things are going. It boils down to a breaching of the design principle of giving users what they want (and vice versa, not giving them what they don't want). Having said that, and as an Android user, I think Apple is a better experience for many.

 

[James321]

Time to move away from anything Google. Already started, after this I will complete the task sooner than later.