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Google Amends Privacy Policy to Use Gmail, Photos Data for Ad Targeting

Google's updated privacy policy allows user data from Gmail, Drive, and Photos to be used for personalized ads through AI features.

Google's updated privacy policy allows user data from Gmail, Drive, and Photos to be used for personalized ads through AI features. This is an original Token Times brief synthesising 2 outlets (Decrypt, Crypto Daily), plus live market data, as of Sat, 24 Oct 2026 19:00:01 UTC.

Why it matters

The policy change marks a significant shift in Google's data usage practices, potentially impacting user privacy and setting a precedent for how tech giants handle personal data for advertising purposes.

Covered by 2 outlets over about 46.8 h — Token Times synthesises them all into one brief
  1. Crypto Daily
    Data Minimisation at Crypto Casinos: 11 Platforms Ranked on Privacy Policy Clarity ↗
  2. Decrypt
    Google Quietly Updates Privacy Policy to Let Gmail and Photos Data Feed Ads ↗
Key takeaways
  • Google's new policy allows Gmail, Drive, and Photos data to personalize ads.
  • Change effective October 16, 2023, affects user data across multiple services.
  • Privacy advocates concerned about increased data exploitation for ads.
What the reporting agrees on

Decrypt and Crypto Daily both report that Google's updated privacy policy, effective October 16, 2023, allows user data from Gmail, Drive, and Photos to be used for personalized advertising through AI features. While Decrypt focuses on the policy change and its implications for user data, Crypto Daily emphasizes the broader context of data privacy concerns, particularly in the crypto space, by highlighting the importance of clear privacy policies and data minimization practices.

Google has quietly updated its privacy policy to allow user data from services like Gmail, Drive, and Photos to be used for personalized advertising. The change, which took effect on October 16, 2023, represents a significant shift from the company's previous stance on data usage.

Under the new policy, Google's Personal Intelligence AI features will have access to a wider range of user data, enabling more targeted and personalized ad experiences. This move has raised concerns among privacy advocates who worry about the increased exploitation of personal data for commercial gain.

The policy change comes at a time when data privacy is a growing concern, particularly in the tech and crypto sectors. Crypto Daily's coverage highlights the importance of clear privacy policies and data minimization practices, ranking eleven crypto casinos on their privacy policy clarity and emphasizing the need for users to be vigilant about data retention and sharing terms.

The updated policy is part of a broader trend of tech companies leveraging user data to enhance their AI capabilities and improve ad targeting. While Google's move is not entirely unexpected, it underscores the ongoing tension between data-driven innovation and user privacy.

In the current market context, with the total crypto market cap at $2.74 trillion and Bitcoin down 1.84% in the last 24 hours, investor sentiment remains cautious. The Fear & Greed Index stands at 51, indicating a neutral market sentiment. This development serves as a reminder of the broader data privacy challenges that extend beyond the crypto space.

The market when this published · October 24, 2026
Total market cap₹260.82T
Bitcoin 24h-1.84%
Ethereum 24h-3.79%
BTC dominance58.7%
Fear & Greed51 · Neutral

Google Amends Privacy Policy to Use Gmail, Photos Data for A — questions & answers

What data can Google now use for ads?

Google can now use data from Gmail, Drive, and Photos for personalized advertising.

When did the policy change take effect?

The policy change took effect on October 16, 2023.

Why is this change significant?

The change is significant because it allows Google to use a wider range of user data for ad targeting, raising privacy concerns.

Which outlets reported this story?

This is an original Token Times brief that synthesises reporting from Decrypt, Crypto Daily, with the key figures cross-checked for agreement across them. It is not a copy of any one article — follow the source links above for the original reporting.

Token Times Newsdesk Data-stamped

Token Times's newsdesk writes original briefs by synthesising coverage from across the crypto press — 50+ outlets including CoinDesk, The Block, Decrypt and Cointelegraph — cross-checking the figures they report — and verifying them against on-chain data from DeFiLlama and mempool.space — plus live market context (CoinGecko, Binance). We summarise and link to every source; we never reproduce full articles. Read our editorial standards and how we use AI. Not financial advice.

Market data verified against CoinGecko & Binance · October 24, 2026 ⛓ Timestamped at Bitcoin block #972,950 sha256:2da182a6e39303a9
Corroborated across 2 outlets, reported over about 46.8 h — this is an original Token Times summary with live market data, not the original article.Crypto Daily · Oct 22 18:14 ↗Decrypt · Oct 24 17:01 ↗

Original summary — not financial advice. This is an original Token Times brief that summarises a development reported elsewhere and adds live market data for context; it is not the original article and reproduces no part of it. Follow the source link above for full details. Crypto is volatile and high-risk — always do your own research.