Google Says Gmail and Photos Data Shared With AI Search Could Be Used for Targeted Ads
Summary: Google updated its privacy policy, effective October 16, 2026, to state that using personalized AI features in Search or Gemini may let the company serve targeted ads based on activity in connected services such as Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos. The policy says content from those services is not used to personalize ads by default, but that changes if a user opts to share data with AI Mode and other Search tools through the Personal Intelligence feature, now in beta for users over 18 outside the EEA, Switzerland, the U.K., and Nigeria.
What's compelling: The opt-in is the whole control: once a user connects Gmail or Photos to Personal Intelligence, that content can become an ad-targeting signal, and the only way back is disconnecting apps or disabling Personalized Recommendations in Search settings.
Read the original at The Hacker News ↗
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- AI Security
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