You might have suspected that Google was using personal app data for more than your own tasks, but now you have confirmation. Google has updated its privacy policy with an exception that lets its services use your shared content for personalized ads when you connect them to apps like Drive, Gmail, and Photos.

The revised policy notes that Google Drive, Gmail, and Photos don’t serve these targeted ads by default. They also won’t share personally identifying info without your permission. Google isn’t reading all your content to personalize marketing material.

However, that still means you might get custom ads simply by wanting to use common Google features. As Android Authority explains, both Gemini’s Personal Intelligence and Google Search can draw info from connected apps. You might not avoid these ads unless you’re willing to limit functionality.

That could hobble features you might already take for granted. Search won’t dip into Gmail to use bookings for recommendations, for instance. You’re being asked to make a tradeoff rather than simply refusing to allow personalized ads.

What can I do to avoid Google’s personalized ads?

Disconnecting apps isn’t the only option

There are measures you can take if you balk at Google’s personalized ads and are willing to make a few sacrifices. To start, you can disconnect apps from Google Search through a few steps:

  1. Visit your Google Account profile and choose Data & privacy.
  2. In the Personalization & activity section, choose Personalization settings.
  3. Choose Manage Personalized Recommendations in Search Services.
  4. Go to the Additional Personal Intelligence section and pick Connected Content apps.
  5. Disconnect Google Photos and Google Workspace.

If you’d rather drop personalization entirely, you can visit Search Services Personalization and turn off Personalized Recommendations.

I you prefer to keep the integrations in place and just don’t want to see ads, you can sometimes use third-party clients (such as an email app) to access Google services ad-free. Ideally, you’ll make use of Personal Intelligence without enduring so many sales pitches.

And yes, you can drop as many Google services as possible to make your displeasure clear. That won’t be easy and will likely involve changing email addresses, exporting data and finding equivalent replacements. It’s nonetheless the cleanest break you can possibly make, and will prevent Google from using any of your data going forward.