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Google Privacy Policy Update Allows Ads Based on Gmail and Photos Data
· Confirmed
In Short: Google's new privacy policy update allows personalized ads based on data from Gmail, Photos, and Drive, a change from previous policies.
Google has updated its privacy policy to allow personalized ads based on data from Gmail, Photos, and Drive, a shift from its previous stance.
Previously, Google's policy explicitly stated that personalized ads were not based on content from these services. However, the new policy now allows for ads to be personalized based on data from these services, provided users opt-in to Personal Intelligence.
The update went into effect on October 16, 2026, and includes new language that rewrites three sentences in the policy's advertising section and adds a new explanatory note.
According to Google, advertisers won't be able to see personally identifying details like names or email addresses, and Google won't show ads based on sensitive categories such as race, sexual orientation, religion, or health.
To manage personalized recommendations in Search services, users can go to Data & Privacy under their My Account page, select Personalization settings, and then Manage Personalized Recommendations.
Google spokespersons have stated that connecting apps is entirely opt-in, meaning users must consent to share their data across services.
The policy now states, 'We don’t show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos, unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.'
This update follows a pattern of tech companies facing scrutiny over data privacy practices. For instance, New Mexico's lawsuit against Meta, parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, resulted in a $25 billion fine for misleading consumers about data privacy practices.
The fine was based on over 40 million violations of state law, totaling $219 billion initially, but reduced to $25 billion, an amount roughly equal to Meta’s quarterly profits.
New Mexico's attorney general had sued Meta in 2021 following revelations that Cambridge Analytica had harvested personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party app.
Google's Personal Intelligence feature, which began rolling out in beta at the start of the year, allows Gemini to share data between various apps, including Gmail, Photos, Search, Drive, and more.
In other words, while Google hasn’t explicitly revealed your cloud storage, inbox, or photo collection to advertisers, it has opened the door to allowing advertisers to target ads based on that connected content as it appears in spaces like Search.
What this adds
The new policy update marks a significant shift in Google's approach to data privacy and personalized advertising.
Google's move comes amid increased scrutiny of tech companies' data practices and the potential impact on user privacy.
What's confirmed
- Previously, the policy specifically stated that personalized ads were not “based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos,” but following this change, the sentence no longer stops there.
- For example, Search may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads.
- As spotted by Android Authority (via The Verge ), Google’s new privacy policy update — which went into effect one week ago on October 16th — adds new language surrounding how the company uses data from Gmail, Drive, and Photos to target ads.
- The policy states, “We don’t show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos, unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads”.
What's still developing
- The revised policy carries an effective date of October 16, 2026, fifteen days after the previous version, and The Verge today reported that the change ties the company's ad systems to Personal Intelligence, the opt-in feature that lets AI Mode and other Google tools draw on a user's own emails, photos and files.
- Google’s policy archive shows earlier versions with date ranges ending in October 2026, which suggests the October 16 text replaced a version in force since October 1.
- New Mexico's lawsuit argued that Facebook generally misled consumers about its data privacy practices, as well as its efforts to moderate misinformation and hate speech.
- The case stemmed from the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the U.K.-based data firm employed by Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign exploited Facebook features to harvest and misappropriate the personal data of more than 50 million users.
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- New Mexico state prosecutors successfully argued that the state’s entire population of roughly two million people was impacted by Meta’s deceptive assurances that private data was never shared with third parties.
- The Bank of Japan (BoJ) raised its short-term interest-rate target to 1.25% from 1.00% in a 7-2 vote, marking another step in the normalisation of monetary policy and widely matching what everyone has been expecting for weeks.
- Rising energy costs have intensified inflation concerns, placing greater pressure on the Fed to tighten monetary policy.
- A judge in New Mexico ordered Meta Platforms to pay $25 billion on Wednesday after a jury found the company had misled consumers in a case arising from allegations that a political consulting firm involved in Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign obtained data from millions of Facebook users without their consent.
- State law allows a penalty of up to $5,000 per violation, and directs that all of the money go to New Mexico's school system, Torrez told reporters after the verdict.
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