Google has revised its privacy policy to say that content from Gmail, Drive and Google Photos can be used to personalize ads if users choose to make that data available to other Google services that support personalized ads. The new Google Privacy Policy took effect on October 16, 2026, and the change was first reported by Android Authority on October 23.

The update is tied to Personal Intelligence, a feature that lets Search and Gemini draw on data from a user’s connected Google apps. By default, Google says, content from Gmail, Drive and Photos is still not used to personalize ads.

What changed in the text

Google publishes a comparison between the October 1 and October 16 versions of the policy. The earlier version said: “We don’t show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos.” The new version keeps that sentence but adds a condition: “unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.”

A new paragraph was also added to the section on how Google personalizes its services:

“You may choose to allow certain Google services, including services like Search or Gemini Apps, to access data from other Google services you use, such as Google Photos and Workspace apps like Gmail and Drive, in order to provide you with a more personalized experience, subject to the policies and settings of the accessing service. For example, Search may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads.”

The sentence on which signals drive ads changed as well. The old text said Google may show personalized ads based on a user’s “interests and activity across Google services.” The new text reads “interests, activity, or personalized content from Google services.”

Google also added a definition of personalizing content that names Personal Intelligence directly. It says that if users let certain services process data from other services, “the same data may be used to personalize your experience,” and gives the example of Search using booking details from an email to suggest things to do near a hotel.

Two commitments are unchanged. The policy still says Google does not show personalized ads based on sensitive categories such as race, religion, sexual orientation or health, and does not share information that personally identifies users, such as a name or email address, with advertisers unless the user asks it to.

Who it affects

Personal Intelligence was unveiled in Gemini in January 2026 and lets users connect services such as Gmail, Google Photos and YouTube, according to The Hacker News. The publication reported that the feature is rolling out as a beta to eligible users over 18 worldwide, except in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the UK and Nigeria.

The Hacker News described the practical effect this way: if users interact with AI Mode or Gemini while Personal Intelligence is on, the content that informs those answers, such as material from Gmail or Photos, could be used as a signal to target ads. Android Authority reported that Google maintains it does not give advertisers personally identifying details, such as a name or email address, without permission.

Neither report quoted a Google spokesperson, and Google’s policy archive lists the new version without a written summary of what changed.

How to turn it off

Android Authority listed the steps to disconnect apps. In the Google Account, open Data & privacy, then Personalization settings under Personalization & activity. Choose Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search Services, find Connected Content apps under Additional Personal Intelligence, and disconnect Google Workspace and Google Photos. Users can also turn off Personalized Recommendations entirely on the Search Services Personalization page.

Disconnecting may not remove information already saved. Android Authority noted that data in Search Services History can remain after an app is disconnected or after the original email or photo is deleted.

Why it matters

Before this update, Google’s policy said without qualification that it did not personalize ads based on content from Gmail, Drive or Photos. The new wording keeps that as the default but makes an exception for users who connect those apps to AI features, so turning on a personalization feature in Search or Gemini now has advertising consequences that the policy spells out.

For users, the choice sits in the connection settings rather than in a separate ad setting. Anyone who has connected Gmail or Photos to Personal Intelligence, and does not want that data used for ads, has to disconnect the apps or turn off Personalized Recommendations.

The caveats

The policy text does not say which specific data elements from connected apps can inform ads or in which ad products they appear. The availability details come from The Hacker News, not from the policy itself.

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