3 settings to stop Google personalised ads from Gmail data

For years, Google's promise fit in one flat sentence: no personalised ads based on your Drive, Gmail or Photos content. Since October 16, that sentence has had a catch.

The updated privacy policy, spotted by Android Authority, means Google personalised ads could now draw on your Gmail and Photos data if you've switched on its AI features.

What changed in Google's privacy policy?

This is one policy statement which has made an exception.

Google says that it will not display ads using information derived from Drive, Gmail and Photos, but the new wording includes "unless you choose to make data from these services available to other Google services that support personalised advertising."

An example of such a policy is Search, which uses the data it has access to for personalising advertisements.

Only the individuals that have synchronised Drive, Gmail and Photos with AI Mode and Search can be classified as having personal intelligence.

Google claims that the ads will not be created using your inbox or photo gallery as a basis. However, it will depend on the analysis made based on them.

Advertisers do not receive access to your Drive, Gmail or Photos data. Your name and email address will also be withheld. Additionally, Google promised that it will not target any advertisements based on sensitive categories like race, sexual preference, religion or health issues.

In previous comments to Search Engine Land, Google admitted that it did not use personal intelligence for targeting ads anywhere else. However, it did not completely deny the possibility of doing so in the future.

How to stop Gmail and Photos data from targeting ads?

You have three options, all in your Google account:

Open Search Services Personalisation, go to Connected Content Apps and disconnect Google Workspace.
On the same page, disconnect Google Photos.
Turn off personalised recommendations entirely.

For broader control over personalised advertising, My Ad Center has its own switch.