Google Privacy Policy Update Erodes Gmail and Photos Firewall
AI-generated image · US National Wire
A shift in language suggests data from sensitive apps can now inform ad personalization via the company's 'Personal Intelligence' AI features.
Google has updated its privacy policy to remove a previously explicit limit on using sensitive data from Gmail, Drive, and Photos for ad personalization, according to reporting from Ars Technica. The previous policy stated, “We don’t show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos.”
This change coincides with the early 2026 release of “Personal Intelligence,” a feature that allows users to opt-in to sharing data across multiple apps to provide context for Google AI products, including the Gemini app and AI Mode search. While the Gemini app currently lacks ads, Ars Technica reports that sponsored content appears in AI search tools. Consequently, data shared with AI search through Personal Intelligence may contribute to ad personalization.
Google maintains that ads are not “based directly” on a user's Photos library or Gmail inbox and that sensitive information is not used to tailor ads. A Google spokesperson told Ars Technica that the policy clarification does not signal a change in how data is handled with advertising partners, asserting that the company does not provide this data to third parties or scan entire inboxes to enhance advertising profiles.
However, Ars Technica notes that if users pipe personal data into AI search tools, the resulting ads could be based on that information. The outlet also highlights that while Google claims it does not use personal data for AI training, it does use model outputs and user inputs for that purpose, and the company does not guarantee that personal information is always successfully filtered from training sets.