Privacy policy update allows AI data for ads

Google has updated its privacy policy to allow data processed by its AI system, Gemini, to be used for targeted advertising. This change permits the use of data from services like Drive, Gmail, and Photos for ads, provided users choose to share that data with other Google services that support personalized ads.

Personal Intelligence uses AI to process user data

The "Personal Intelligence" tool uses data from emails, photos, and documents stored on Drive to provide highly personalized AI responses. This data is processed by Gemini, and Google now considers this processed data usable for targeted advertising, even though not all stored data is scanned for user profiles.

European users remain unaffected for now

The update does not currently affect European users, as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has prevented Google from deploying its "Personal Intelligence" tool in Europe. However, the privacy policy language is broad enough to allow for future changes or exceptions.

Users can take steps to protect their data

Users concerned about their personal information being used can review and adjust their privacy settings in the "Data and Privacy" section of their Google account. They can also disable "personalized ads" or prevent data sharing between services to limit how their data is used.

Disabling data sharing may impact tool functionality

Disabling data sharing between Google services may break some functionalities, as it would cut the connections between tools like Gmail, Photos, and Drive linked to a user's account. Users must balance their desire for privacy with the need for these tools to function properly.