Google’s Privacy Update Connects AI Personalization to Ads

By Elena Vasquez

As of October 16, Google’s privacy policy permits Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos data to support personalized ads when users make that data available to other Google services.

The added exception reads: “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.”

Android Authority, which spotted the update, said the previous version simply said Google would not use Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos for personalized ads.

Google’s own example starts with a search for “mountain bikes.” The company says Search may then show ads for sports equipment on YouTube.

That small change opens a larger privacy question. It links access granted for AI recommendations to a second use: choosing which ads a person sees.

What changed in Google’s privacy policy?

The new language creates an exception, not an automatic expansion of data sharing for every account. Google says the choice depends on what users allow and on the settings of each service that receives access.

People who connected Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos to AI Mode and other Search tools through Google’s Personal Intelligence feature may now see ads based on that content. Google says those connections already help tools provide better responses and recommendations by knowing more about the user.

The policy then defines the bridge between that access and advertising. Google says Search may process data users allow it to access in order to personalize content, including ads.

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.

The final phrase, “including ads,” carries the practical weight of the update. A permission originally described as a way to improve a personalized experience can now support a more personalized ad system.

The language does not guarantee more ads. It uses “may,” leaves the choice to the user, and repeatedly points to service policies and personal settings.

How does AI Mode connect to personalized ads?

Google’s policy names Search and Gemini Apps as examples of services that can ask to access data from other Google services. It also identifies Google Photos and Workspace apps including Gmail and Drive as potential sources.

Personal Intelligence is not described as giving raw files or inboxes to advertisers. It is a permission path that lets one Google service access data from another, subject to the accessing service’s policies and settings.

The advertising exception sits inside that path. If a user allows Search to use permitted data for personalization, the policy says some of it may also be used to personalize ads.

Depending on your settings, we may also show you personalized ads based on your interests, activity, or personalized content from Google services.

For example, if you search for ‘mountain bikes,’ in Search you may see ads for sports equipment on YouTube.

The second example makes the scope less abstract. Search interests, activity, or personalized content can all feed the ad selection process. The company frames the result as a possible outcome, controlled by the user’s settings.

What can advertisers see?

Google’s policy draws two explicit boundaries around the new permission. Advertisers do not receive the underlying Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos information, and they do not receive personally identifying details such as a user’s name or email address.

The policy also excludes four sensitive categories from ad targeting based on this data: race, sexual orientation, religion, and health. Google says it will not show users ads based on those categories.

Those limits do not mean the content has no role in advertising. The policy still allows Google services to use permitted data to decide which ads appear, without giving advertisers direct access to the source material or basic identifiers.

For users, the distinction is between selective advertising and direct disclosure. Google may use the content as an input to ad selection while keeping the underlying information away from the buyer.

Which controls can users use?

Google says users who want to prevent personal data from being used for targeted ads have two direct controls. They can choose which apps to disconnect from Search’s Personal Intelligence features or disable Personalized Recommendations entirely.

• Disconnect selected apps from Search’s Personal Intelligence features.
• Disable Personalized Recommendations through the Search Services Personalization settings page.

Disconnecting an app removes that service from the Personal Intelligence connection. Turning off Personalized Recommendations disables the broader setting. Google presents both routes as ways to stop the targeted-ad use of personal data.

The controls matter most for people who already connected their accounts. Google’s policy says those existing connections may now lead to ads based on email, files, or photos, even though users originally connected the services for AI recommendations.

Why does this matter?

The policy makes the trade-off explicit. Users can give Google more context to improve AI responses and recommendations, while the same permission can also make the ads they see more personalized.

For Google, the business stake is the ability to improve ad relevance with signals from services people already use. Advertisers receive the benefit of more targeted campaigns without receiving access to those services’ content or identifiers.

The policy stakes center on consent and settings. Google treats access for a personalized AI experience as potentially broad enough to include ad personalization, rather than keeping those two uses separate.

Google’s safeguards narrow that expansion. Advertisers cannot inspect the source data, and four sensitive categories cannot guide the ads. Yet the policy still permits commercial use of content from Gmail, Drive, and Photos.

This does not make the change universal. Advertisers gain no direct line into another person’s inbox or photo library, and Google says settings determine whether personalized ads appear. What changes is the possible purpose of data shared for AI.

What should users check now?

Users can open the Search Services Personalization settings page and review which apps remain connected to Search’s Personal Intelligence features. They can disconnect any app they do not want included.

They can also disable Personalized Recommendations entirely if they would rather prevent their personal data from being used for targeted ads. Google identifies both choices as available controls.

The practical question for existing users is whether the additional ad personalization matches the bargain they expected when they connected their Google accounts.

Going forward, users will need to watch whether Personal Intelligence changes the ads they get, then use the disconnection and recommendation controls if that trade-off no longer works for them.