Google’s New Privacy Policy Lets Gmail and Photos Data Shape Ads

If you have connected Gmail, Google Photos or Drive to Gemini or to Google’s AI search, what’s in them can now shape the ads you see. According to the revised Google Privacy Policy, effective October 16, 2026, personal content from Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive can now inform ad personalization if users connect those services to other Google products. The change, spotted by Android Authority as reported on October 23, 2026, by The Verge and Ars Technica, turns a flat promise into a conditional one.

What Changed in Google’s Privacy Policy

Previously, Google promised it would not display personalized ads based on content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos, as documented by Ars Technica. The updated Google Privacy Policy dated October 16, 2026, qualifies that promise: personal content is excluded unless users choose to make data from those tools available to other Google services supporting personalized ads. Under the policy, users may allow services like Search or Gemini Apps to access Drive, Gmail, and Photos data to deliver personalized experiences, and Google Search may process that permitted data to personalize content, including advertisements.

Who Is Affected

This shift affects only users who connect their files via Personal Intelligence, a Google feature introduced in early 2026 per Ars Technica. Personal Intelligence allows Gmail, Drive, and Photos to connect to Search tools and the Gemini app to generate tailored answers.

The Gemini app does not currently show ads, Ars reports, but AI Search tools can display sponsored content. While activation requires user consent, the outlet notes that Google encourages adoption through prompts and pop-ups. Consequently, some users may have switched on Personal Intelligence without realizing that connected apps could influence search advertising.

What Google Says About Data Protection

Google maintains that user privacy remains protected. In statements provided to Ars Technica, a company spokesperson emphasized that “Connecting your apps is entirely opt-in.” Google also stated that “Ads will not be based directly on your Gmail inbox or Photos library” and clarified that data is not shared with third parties.

As reported by The Verge and confirmed in the Google Privacy Policy, advertisers never receive file content, user names, or email addresses. Furthermore, Google forbids targeting ads using sensitive categories like race, religion, health, or sexual orientation.

How to Audit or Disable Connected Apps

Fixing this costs nothing but a few minutes. Based on the steps described by Ars Technica and The Verge, you can cut the link in three places:

• In Gemini settings, open Personal Intelligence and disable connected apps.
• In your Google Account, navigate to Data & privacy, select Personalization settings, open Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search Services, select Connected Content Apps, and switch off Workspace and Google Photos.
• On the Search Services Personalization settings page, disable Personalized Recommendations entirely, as detailed by The Verge.

Menu names can differ slightly between app versions and interface languages, so look for the key words if the exact label isn’t there.

The Angle for Arabic-Speaking Readers

Google’s privacy policy applies worldwide, and the Arabic Privacy Policy contains the identical exception. That wording alone doesn’t tell you the feature is switched on in your country. We could not confirm from Google’s own pages whether Personal Intelligence is offered in any Arab country, in Arabic, or only on paid plans.

Readers can check their own status directly: open your Gemini settings and Google Account personalization settings. If an option for Personal Intelligence or connected apps appears and is turned on, this policy change applies to you.

Measured Take: Convenience vs. Privacy

Google’s structural guardrails provide genuine reassurance: advertisers cannot read private emails, and sensitive topics remain off-limits. However, nudging users through interface pop-ups to connect personal files to ad-supported search tools blurs a line that Google defended for years. Users should consciously review their permissions rather than allowing convenience to dictate their privacy defaults.