Google privacy policy now allows ad targeting from connected Gmail and Photos data

Google updated its privacy policy on October 16 to add an exception to its pledge not to use Drive, Gmail or Photos data for personalized ads. The exception applies if you make that data available to other Google services that support personalized ads, such as AI Mode and other Search tools. Turning on Personal Intelligence gives Google more data for ad targeting.

Why it matters: This ties AI personalization features directly to ad revenue, weakening a long-standing privacy assurance. Users who connect their accounts for assistant features may unknowingly opt into ad profiling. It likely previews how other AI assistant providers will monetize personal-context features.