Google updates privacy policy to let Search and Gemini feed ads with Gmail data

Google has updated its privacy policy to allow its services to use content from Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos for ad personalization, contingent on explicit user action. The change applies when individuals grant these apps access through features like Google Search or Gemini, including the Personal Intelligence function.

The mechanism links queries with permitted external data. For instance, if a user permits Google Search to read Gmail, a hotel reservation confirmation email can be used to generate a personalized answer. Under the updated policy, that same email content can also influence the specific advertisement displayed in the interface. Google states that data connection for Personal Intelligence remains voluntary, and default settings continue to block the use of service contents for advertising unless a user actively triggers the integration.

Users retain the ability to disable individual apps within Personal Intelligence or turn off personalized recommendations entirely via Google support pages. The company specifies that advertisers do not gain direct access to the contents of user services, names, or email addresses without consent, and sensitive categories such as race, religion, sexual orientation, and health status are excluded from ad targeting.

In a separate advertising development mentioned alongside the policy shift, an independent puzzle game developer reported spending 40 Canadian dollars ($29) per day on Google Ads for Android targeting installs, resulting in $220 total spent with 60% bot-generated installations.

Source: habr