Google allows shared Gmail and Photos data to influence ads

Google now allows information from Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos to influence personalized ads when users share that data with other company products, such as Personalized Intelligence features in Search. According to Tecnoblog, the change took effect last week, citing Android Authority. Google says it does not directly use the content of these services for advertising and that advertisers will not have access to messages, files or photos. Names, email addresses and sensitive data such as race, religion, sexual orientation and health information are also excluded.

To prevent the use of this data, users can open their Google Account, go to “Data & privacy,” enter “Personalization and activity,” and disconnect Google Workspace and Google Photos under “Connected content apps.” They can also turn off personalized recommendations. Disconnecting the apps prevents new queries but does not delete older records, which must be removed through “My Activity”.