Google privacy policy (Oct 16, 2026): Gmail, Photos and Drive data shared with Search or Gemini can personalize ads
Google's privacy policy now reads "Effective October 16, 2026." It used to say flatly: "We don't show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos." That line now ends "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalized ads." A new passage says 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," and that "Search may process some of the data that you allow Search to access to personalize content, including ads." Personalized ads are now described as based on "your interests, activity, or personalized content from Google services." The policy also adds a definition tied to features such as "Personal Intelligence," with the example of Search using hotel booking details from an email to suggest things to do nearby. The access is opt-in: the policy frames it as something you choose to allow, subject to each service's own settings.