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4w ago

Gmail Settings Default Many Users Into Letting Gemini Use Emails for AI Training

Google describes the change as part of its Smart Features system with stricter defaults in the EEA, UK, Japan and Switzerland.

London, UK - July 31, 2018: The buttons of the app Gmail, surrounded by Google, Google Photos, Google Drive and other apps on the screen of an iPhone.
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FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is seen on the Google house at CES 2024, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 10, 2024. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
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Overview

  • Users reported finding Gmail and Workspace smart features toggled on by default, allowing Gemini to analyze emails, attachments and other content unless they opt out.
  • Google says the update expands controls and does not change its underlying data-handling practices, while noting these features rely on Workspace content to function.
  • Fully opting out requires turning off Smart Features in two places: the Gmail, Chat and Meet setting and the separate Google Workspace smart features controls.
  • The rollout appears uneven across accounts, with some users seeing the settings enabled and others not yet impacted.
  • A proposed class-action lawsuit filed November 11 in federal court in San Jose alleges Google granted Gemini access to private communications without proper consent.