Google has changed its privacy policy to create a new exception around how connected Gmail, Drive and Google Photos data can affect personalized advertising.
The Oct. 1 version of Google’s policy said Google did not show personalized ads based on content from Drive, Gmail or Photos. The revised policy, effective Oct. 16, 2026, keeps that statement but adds an exception for cases where users choose to make data from those services available to other Google services that support personalized ads.
The revised policy also expands the ad-personalization wording. It now says ads may be based on interests, activity or ‘personalized content’ from Google services. In the same section, Google says Search may process allowed cross-service data to personalize content, including ads.
How Personal Intelligence fits in
Personal Intelligence is Google’s name for features that connect information across Google apps so AI tools can respond with more context. Google introduced the feature in Gemini in January 2026 and expanded it to AI Mode in Search soon after. Google later said it was expanding Personal Intelligence across AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app and Gemini in Chrome in the U.S.
Google’s Search Help page says users can connect Search services to Google content apps such as Workspace, currently Gmail and Google Calendar, and Google Photos. The page says this can let AI Mode or Ask Maps reference personal context, including information from emails or photos, to tailor responses. That connection also permits access across other Search services. Drive isn’t currently listed as a Search connection, but Gemini’s connected-app documentation includes Drive within its Workspace connection.
The same help page lists Canada and the United States among supported countries for connecting content apps to Search, but eligibility is limited to users aged 18 or older with personal Google Accounts. Availability also depends on the product and region. Google Calendar connections are currently available only in the United States in English, while Google Photos connections aren’t offered everywhere.
Search Engine Land reported on Oct. 16 that Google had begun testing ads in AI Mode for users who connect apps through Personal Intelligence. It also reported that Google had not announced new advertiser controls, targeting options or a wider rollout for the test.
What Google says remains protected
Google draws several boundaries around the change. Its Search Help page says ads will not be based directly on a user’s Gmail inbox or Google Photos library. It also says advertisers will not have access to Gmail inboxes or Google Photos.
Google says Search may reference ‘summaries, excerpts and inferences’ from connected sources to personalize the Search experience, and that same information may be used to show ads in Search services that support them.
The current privacy policy continues to say Google does not show personalized ads based on sensitive categories such as race, religion, sexual orientation or health, and it says Google does not share information that personally identifies a user with advertisers unless the user asks Google to do so.
The consent issue is larger than one setting
Personal Intelligence is designed as an opt-in feature. That limits the scope of the policy change, but it also makes the consent decision more complicated. A setting turned on for AI recommendations can carry an advertising consequence that is not always obvious from the reason a person enabled it.
Google’s support page adds another caveat. If a connected content app is disconnected later, or if the original data is deleted from that app, data already saved in Search Services History is not automatically deleted. Google says users can manage and delete Search Services History separately.
For businesses and marketers, the update is not a new targeting product to act on today. The more immediate takeaway is that Google’s AI search and advertising systems are becoming more closely linked through user-level personalization. Tech Help Canada has also covered how Google’s AI search experience is keeping more activity inside Google, which gives the company more opportunities to personalize both answers and ads.
What users can review now
Users who want to limit the effect of connected app data can review several separate controls. For Search, Google points to Connected Content Apps under Search Services Personalization for app connections, Personalized Recommendations in Search services for search personalization, My Ad Center for ad personalization, and Search Services History for stored activity connected to Search services. Gemini has separate Personal Intelligence > Connected Apps controls and Gemini Apps Activity, which users may need to review as well.
Turning off one setting may not cover every related data use, so privacy-sensitive users may need to check more than one page.
Get new small business insights by email
Practical ideas and useful articles to help you make better business decisions.
Tech Help Canada Staff researches, writes, and reviews practical content for business owners and professionals. Our coverage spans business, marketing, SEO, technology, and the tools and systems people use to grow and operate online. We focus on clear, useful information backed by research, hands-on experience, and editorial review. Learn more about our team and editorial standards. Need help with something? Contact Us
