--- title: Google’s privacy policy now lets Gmail and Photos... description: Google updated its privacy policy on 16 October so Gmail, Drive and Google Photos content can shape ads, if users connect those apps to ad-supporting services.... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-privacy-policy-now-lets-gmail-and-photos-content-shape-your-ads-qpjnm71vy twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Google’s privacy policy now lets Gmail and Photos content shape your ads | daily.dev og:description: Google updated its privacy policy on 16 October so Gmail, Drive and Google Photos content can shape ads, if users connect those apps to ad-supporting services.... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-privacy-policy-now-lets-gmail-and-photos-content-shape-your-ads-qpjnm71vy og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/QPJnm71VY.png og:image:alt: Google’s privacy policy now lets Gmail and Photos content shape your ads og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Google’s privacy policy now lets Gmail and Photos content shape your ads **[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Google updated its privacy policy on 16 October so Gmail, Drive and Google Photos content can shape ads, if users connect those apps to ad-supporting services. The change adds an exception to a prior no-personalization promise and ties to Personal Intelligence, a Gemini app feature launched 14 January that lets Search and Gemini tools use connected app data. Google told Ars Technica that ads won't be based directly on the Gmail inbox or Photos library, and sensitive information won't be used. The feature is opt-in and still in beta, excluded from the EEA, Switzerland, the UK and Nigeria, and disconnecting an app may not erase already-saved data. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Does connecting Gmail to Gemini's Personal Intelligence mean Google uses my inbox content to target ads? Not directly. Google's updated privacy policy, effective 16 October, allows connected Gmail, Drive and Photos data to inform personalized ads only if a user opts into Personal Intelligence, but Google states ads will not be based directly on the Gmail inbox or Photos library, and sensitive information is excluded from ad targeting. _Developers tracking platform privacy policy shifts can follow updates like this on daily.dev._ ### Is Google's Personal Intelligence feature available in the EU? No. Personal Intelligence, the Gemini app feature launched 14 January that connects Search and Gemini tools to Gmail, Drive and Photos data, is excluded from the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the UK and Nigeria, and is not available to Workspace business, enterprise or education accounts. _Anyone weighing regional feature availability can keep tabs on rollouts like this via daily.dev._ ### If I disconnect my Google apps from Search personalization, does Google delete the data it already collected? Not necessarily. Disconnecting Workspace or Google Photos from Search, done under Data & privacy, Personalization settings, Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search Services, does not guarantee erasure, since Search Services History can retain that data even after disconnection or after the original email or photo is deleted. _Users auditing their own data retention settings can track reporting like this through daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [One of Google’s biggest AI advantages is what it already knows about you](https://daily.dev/posts/one-of-google-s-biggest-ai-advantages-is-what-it-already-knows-about-you-ipxql3ait) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Gemini gets personal for South African users](https://daily.dev/posts/gemini-gets-personal-for-south-african-users-op7u8t0vl) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Google adds Nano Banana image generation to Gemini's Personal Intelligence feature](https://daily.dev/posts/google-adds-nano-banana-image-generation-to-gemini-s-personal-intelligence-feature-cubjtgcx5) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#data-science](https://daily.dev/tags/data-science), [#google](https://daily.dev/tags/google), [#privacy](https://daily.dev/tags/privacy), [#google-gemini](https://daily.dev/tags/google-gemini) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-privacy-policy-now-lets-gmail-and-photos-content-shape-your-ads-qpjnm71vy) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Google’s privacy policy now lets Gmail and Photos content shape your ads","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-privacy-policy-now-lets-gmail-and-photos-content-shape-your-ads-qpjnm71vy","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-privacy-policy-now-lets-gmail-and-photos-content-shape-your-ads-qpjnm71vy"},"datePublished":"2026-10-26T09:58:02.231Z","dateModified":"2026-10-26T10:10:39.501Z","description":"Google updated its privacy policy on 16 October so Gmail, Drive and Google Photos content can shape ads, if users connect those apps to ad-supporting services....","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5cff50bfe24710a8df532e04adfc6a03?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5cff50bfe24710a8df532e04adfc6a03?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"The Next Web","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Next Web","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/tnw","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/tnw"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-privacy-policy-now-lets-gmail-and-photos-content-shape-your-ads-qpjnm71vy","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"data-science,google,privacy,google-gemini","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Next Web","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/tnw"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Google’s privacy policy now lets Gmail and Photos content shape your ads"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/google-s-privacy-policy-now-lets-gmail-and-photos-content-shape-your-ads-qpjnm71vy#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Does connecting Gmail to Gemini's Personal Intelligence mean Google uses my inbox content to target ads?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Not directly. 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