Google updated its privacy policy with an effective date of October 16, 2026. The revision keeps a long-standing promise that Google does not show personalized ads based on content from Drive, Gmail or Google Photos, but it adds a carve-out for users who choose to make that data available to other Google services. Techlicious reported the change on October 19, and the wording has since drawn wide attention because it touches the question of whether personal email and photos can influence advertising.
GoogleWhat the policy says
The relevant text in Google's privacy policy reads, in part: "We don't show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos." The same policy says users "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."
Techlicious reports that the update adds a statement that Search may process data a user allows it to access "to personalize content, including ads." It also reports that the no-ads promise now excludes users who make Gmail, Drive or Photos data available to other services that support personalized ads. The two readings fit together: the default promise stands, and the opt-in connection is the exception.
What Personal Intelligence is
Personal Intelligence is a feature in Google Search that lets AI Mode and other Search tools learn from connected content to tailor answers. According to Techlicious, it works with Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Photos, and the services that can draw on connected content include Search, Discover, Maps, Shopping, Flights, Hotels, Translate and News.
Google's own example, as relayed by Techlicious, is AI Mode scanning emails and photos for a hotel reservation, a flight itinerary and past restaurants, then recommending places near the hotel.
Raw content versus derived data
The most useful way to read the policy is to separate raw content from derived data. Techlicious summarises Google's position as follows: ads will not be based "directly" on a Gmail inbox or Photos library, yet Search may still use summaries, excerpts and inferences drawn from those sources. The same split applies to model training. Google says Search does not train its generative AI directly on inbox contents or Photos imagery and audio, but it does train on summaries, excerpts, generated media and inferences. Where an email or file is brief or especially relevant, Techlicious notes the summary may be the entire item.
Raw content versus derived data under the October 2026 policy
Applies to users who connect Gmail, Calendar or Photos to Search through Personal Intelligence.
Source: Google Privacy Policy (effective October 16, 2026); Techlicious, October 19, 2026.
Limits Google has stated
- Advertisers cannot access connected Gmail or Photos.
- Google says it will not show personalized ads based on sensitive categories such as race, religion, sexual orientation or health.
- A subset of connected-app data may be reviewed by Google staff and outside providers to debug, secure and improve services. Reviewers generally do not view underlying photos or videos unless addressing abuse or harm, or when a user submits feedback, and interactions are disconnected from the account and personal information is reduced before review.
Analysis: why the distinction matters
Three readings follow, offered as interpretation rather than fact.
- The boundary moved from content to inference. Earlier wording described a boundary around Gmail, Drive and Photos content. The new wording keeps that boundary for the content itself while allowing derived signals to flow, when a user has connected the apps. Whether that is a narrow clarification or a meaningful shift depends on how much weight a reader gives to inference versus source material.
- Consent is the hinge. The carve-out applies only to users who connect their data. The share of users who do so is not published in the sources reviewed, so the practical reach of the change cannot be sized from the available evidence.
- Opting out of ads is not the same as opting out of AI use. Techlicious reports that turning off personalized ads in My Ad Center does not necessarily stop connected-app information being used for AI personalization and model improvement. These are separate controls with separate effects.
How to review your settings
According to Techlicious, the main controls are:
- Stop Search from using Gmail, Calendar or Photos: open Search Services Personalization, go to Additional Personal Intelligence, then Connected Content Apps, and disconnect Google Workspace or Google Photos.
- Turn off personalized recommendations: use the Search Services Personalization page.
- Gmail smart features: Settings, See all settings, General, Google Workspace smart features, then Manage Workspace smart feature settings.
- Delete retained data: disconnecting an app does not clear data already collected, so activity must be deleted separately in Search Services History or Google My Activity.
Why it matters beyond Google
Assistants become more useful as they gain access to email, calendars and photos, and every provider has to decide how that access interacts with advertising, training and human review. The same questions apply to any AI tool a person connects to their accounts. For people who mix several assistants, a model-agnostic workspace such as Metir keeps the choice of which model sees which data in the user's hands, though each provider's own terms still govern what happens to data sent to it.
Sources:
- Google Privacy Policy, effective October 16, 2026
- Google can now use insights from your Gmail and Photos to target ads - Techlicious, October 19, 2026
Image credits
Header image: Google sign at 1565 and 1585 Charleston Road, Mountain View, photograph by Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source). In-body image: outdoor seating area at a Google building, Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source). Both are file photos of the campus.