TechTECH WATCH
Google says it might use Gmail and Photos data for ads
Google's privacy policy, updated October sixteenth, lets connected Gmail and Photos content shape ads for users who opt in to its Personal Intelligence features.
On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on BBN After HoursPublished
Photo: Thiago Melo from Brasília, Brasil · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from BBN After Hours at 3:35 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Verge's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by The Verge: “Now Google says it might use your Gmail and Google Photos data to target ads”, with reporting from AndroidPure, Zetik, PPC Land and Android Authority.
- Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 3:35 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
- Topics: Google.
- BBN covered this story before: Google's Finland data center clearing draws suspension order (October 24).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- The VergeNow Google says it might use your Gmail and Google Photos data to target ads
- AndroidPureGoogle’s New Privacy Policy Lets Connected Gmail and Photos Shape Ads October 23, 2026 · facts used on air
- ZetikGoogle Revises Oct. 16 Privacy Policy to Use Gmail, Photos Data for Ads via AI Features October 23, 2026 · facts used on air
- PPC LandGoogle lets connected Gmail and Photos data shape ads, 5 years after pledge October 23, 2026 · facts used on air
- Android AuthorityGoogle makes a privacy policy exception to use your Gmail and Photos data for ads October 23, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentDoctor Nina Byte. I've read the fine print.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentGoogle's promise not to use your Gmail, Drive or Photos for personalized ads kept identical wording from July first, twenty twenty-one, until an October sixteenth update added an exception.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentWhat's the exception?
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIt's opt-in. If you connect those apps to Search through Personal Intelligence, they can shape your ads.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentGoogle says advertisers don't get the content itself. Probably just whatever the content made Google think about you.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentFive years unchanged is the longest anything at Google has gone without an update.
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Photo: Goombah · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Ka Kit Pang · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: MILLION DOLLAZ WORTH OF GAME · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ka Kit Pang · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: M. Rehemtulla · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The story so far
- Some Google Home Speakers caught downloading hundreds of gigs of data · The Verge
- Google Reports Cloud Disruptions in Europe Region · The New York Times
- Google joins Amazon in attacking Nvidia's hold on AI developers · TechCrunch
- Trump says Google CEO refused to rename the Atlantic Ocean · Hindustan Times
- Courts Force Meta and Google to Change, and Pay Up · The New York Times
- Google's Finland data center clearing draws suspension order · New York Post
- Google says it might use Gmail and Photos data for ads (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 24, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months
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