Google Adds an Ad Exception for Gmail, Drive and Photos Data

Google has updated its privacy policy to add an exception to its promise not to use data from Drive, Gmail, or Google Photos for personalized ads, The Verge reported on October 23, 2026.

The October 16 version of the policy said Google would not use those three services for personalized ads "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads." The exception turns on that opt-in. Users who connect Drive, Gmail, or Photos to AI Mode and other Search tools through Personal Intelligence may see ads targeted on the basis of that content.

Personal Intelligence is Google's cross-app context layer, a system that lets its AI draw on information across its apps. Google says it securely connects information across Google apps, including Gmail and Google Photos, so that Search returns tailored responses. In its privacy policy, Google says users may allow Search or Gemini Apps to access data from Photos and Workspace apps such as Gmail and Drive for a more personalized experience, and that Search may process that data to personalize content, including ads.

Google has also set out limits. It says advertisers do not get access to Drive, Gmail, or Photos information, or to personally identifying details such as name or email address. It says it will not show ads based on sensitive categories, including race, sexual orientation, religion, or health.

The controls are the same ones users already have. A user can disconnect apps from Search's Personal Intelligence features, or turn off Personalized Recommendations in the Search Services Personalization settings, to keep personal data out of targeted ads.

Google has said that Gemini does not train directly on a user's Gmail inbox or Google Photos library, a statement it made in a January 2026 blog post. Training and ad targeting are separate questions, and the policy change concerns ad targeting, not model training.

The personalization language predates Personal Intelligence. Google's Terms of Service say it customizes services to provide recommendations and personalized search results, content, and ads, and that users can change these settings. An archived version of the terms, covering 2019 to 2020, said automated systems analyze user content, including emails, to provide personally relevant features such as customized search.

Android Authority reported that the updated policy shows how Personal Intelligence could use Gmail and Photos data for targeted ads. The same outlet reported in July that code it found suggested Google Maps was preparing to integrate the feature. On October 20, Google rolled out Gemini's Personal Intelligence on Android Auto, where, according to Google, users can let Gemini pull information from emails, photos, and calendar to give tailored answers.

In my view, the central change is one of default. Under the earlier wording, Gmail, Drive, and Photos content stayed out of ad targeting unless a user opted in. The new exception keeps the opt-in, but that opt-in now sits inside a feature built to pull the same content into everyday answers, so the user's decision carries more weight than the headline suggests. Whether that is acceptable depends on how clearly the choice is presented when a user connects an app, and that is the detail worth checking in the product itself.

The broader context here is that the mechanics are not new. Google already anonymizes advertising data in server logs, removing part of the IP address after nine months and cookie information after 18 months, according to its retention documentation. What is new is the category of personal content that can now feed the targeting pipeline, and the fact that it is offered as a convenience rather than as a separate product.

For practitioners, the useful question is operational. Admins and power users should review which Personal Intelligence connections are active, check the Search Services Personalization setting, and treat the connection step as a data-sharing decision rather than a feature toggle. Users who want the assistant's cross-app context without ad personalization have a documented route to get it, and the sensitive-category exclusions are a stated commitment that can be tested over time.