Overview
- Google updated its privacy policy on Monday to allow personalized advertising based on content from Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos when users grant those data to other Google services that support ads.
- The change is tied to service linking for features like Gemini and Google Search so that Personal Intelligence or AI assistant modes can use cross‑service data to inform ad selection.
- Users can turn off personalized ads in their Google account settings, and Google says it will not share names or email addresses with advertisers though a phone number can be transmitted if a user taps a call button on an ad.
- Reporting differs on Europe: Google lists Personal Intelligence as unavailable in parts of the EEA but some outlets say Germany has seen expanded personalization, creating uncertainty about regional limits under EU privacy rules.
- Privacy experts warn many people may grant access without real awareness because consent occurs when linking services or in long settings pages, and removing a photo or email may not undo earlier use for personalization.