There’s no such thing as a free recommendation. Google’s latest policy tweak is a clear reminder. Google has long promised that your Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos content never helps it personalize ads.
However, since October 16, 2026, its privacy policy adds a catch. The promise lapses if you let other ad-showing Google services use that content. That means using Personal Intelligence, an opt-in tool that lets Google’s AI search read your connected apps, does exactly that (via Google).
Google Workspace
How does my private data end up in an ad?
If you ask Google’s AI Mode where to eat near your hotel, and it can identify your hotel from the booking confirmation in Gmail, find the location in Maps, and then suggest a few places you might like. That’s the helpful half.
The twist, however, is that AI Mode can also show sponsored results. Google mentions that the personalized ads follow what the question and answer are about. So, while your inbox never goes to an advertiser, it can quietly shape the answer, which, in turn, shapes the ads.
Google’s defense is elaborate. First, it says connecting the apps is optional. Second, advertisers can’t see the information or content Google accesses in your Workspace apps (including your inbox and photos). Finally, sensitive topics like health are off-limits.
It adds that its data-handling with advertising partners hasn’t changed. Fair enough, but that only protects me from advertisers reading my email. What bothers me is the in-between step. An assistant reading my mail to answer me is hired help. Picking ads from what it finds makes it, in my opinion, a moonlighting salesman.
What can I do about it, and what stays behind?
If that trade bothers you, you can undo it. First, check whether you’ve enabled Personal Intelligence without meaning to.
In your Google Account, head to Data & privacy > Personalization > Search Services recommendations page. Under Connected Content Apps, disconnect Google Workspace and Photos. There’s a catch, though.
Disconnecting doesn’t necessarily erase what Google already accessed, since Search Services History can keep it even after you delete the email or photo itself. In other words, you’re locking the door, not rewinding the tape. Even so, I’d rather lock it than discover this in fine print.
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