Google Ties Gmail and Photos Data to AI Ads — SkimNews
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- Google updated its privacy policy to state that personalized AI features in Search or Gemini may use data from connected services like Gmail and Photos for targeted advertising
- Google specifies that this data sharing only occurs when users opt in to enhanced personalization across its apps
- Google links the ad-targeting clarification directly to its AI-driven search experiences, marking a shift in how user data is framed in the context of AI personalization
- Google emphasizes user control, noting that opting out of personalized AI features prevents this cross-service data use for ads
Why it matters: Users who enable AI personalization in Google Search or Gemini now face clearer trade-offs: convenience in exchange for ad targeting based on private data from Gmail and Photos. The policy change makes explicit what was previously ambiguous—AI-driven features are tied to Google’s advertising engine, raising the stakes for user consent and trust.
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