Google's privacy policy update that took effect on October 16, 2026 changes how data from Gmail, Drive and Google Photos can feed into personalized ads, but the mechanism is narrower than it may sound.
What the policy describes
- Ads are still not based directly on your Gmail inbox or your Google Photos library.
- If you authorize other Google services that support personalized ads (for example Search or Gemini Apps) to access those apps, those services may use summaries, extracts and inferences derived from that content, and that can influence the ads you see.
- Advertisers do not get direct access to your inbox or photos.
- What happens next depends on the policies and settings of the service receiving the access.
Practical takeaway
Connecting apps is the switch. If you manage accounts for a team or care about your own data, review which Google services have permission to read Workspace content and check the ad personalization settings on the service that receives it.
Full breakdown on Tadna: Google and personalized ads in Gmail, Drive and Photos
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