The policy states that Google does not use sensitive personal information categories including race, religion, sexual orientation, or health to serve personalized advertising, does not use content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos for ad personalization, and does not share directly identifying information with advertisers without user consent.
This analysis describes what Google's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
These restrictions establish documented limits on the categories of data used for advertising personalization, distinguishing what the policy prohibits from the broader scope of data Google collects and processes for other purposes.
The updated policy establishes a new opt-in mechanism that allows Google services like Search and Gemini to access data from other Google services you use, including Gmail, Google Photos, and Drive, to personalize your experience and show you targeted ads. Previously, Google's policy stated it did not show personalized ads based on content from these services. Under the revised terms, if you choose to enable this feature, Google may use data from Gmail, Photos, and Drive to personalize ads and content, including through a feature called Personal Intelligence. You can manage this through your Google account settings to control which services can access data from other services.
View change record →Google's Privacy Policy now gives an effective date of October 1, 2026, replacing May 26, 2026. One passage changed. It covers information Google collects when you are not signed in, which it stores with identifiers tied to your browser, app or device. The policy previously said this lets Google show more relevant search results or ads “based on your activity”; it now says “based on your activity across devices.”
View change record →The updated policy explicitly discloses that Google collects data when you are signed out and stores it with unique identifiers tied to your browser, application, or device. The policy also expands the types of activity it collects to include 'media (like images, files, audio and video) from your interactions,' in addition to previously listed categories. The revised language reorganizes privacy controls into 'Search Services History' and 'Web & App Activity,' and clarifies that depending on your settings, activity from services like Search, Maps, and Shopping is saved as history to your Google Account. You can manage these settings through your Google Account privacy controls, including the ability to turn off Web & App Activity or adjust Personalized Recommendations in Search services.
View change record →Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Sensitive Category Exclusions from Personalized Advertising and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →"We don't show you personalized ads based on sensitive categories, such as race, religion, sexual orientation, or health. We don't show you personalized ads based on your content from Drive, Gmail, or Photos. We don't share information that personally identifies you with advertisers, such as your name or email, unless you ask us to.Excerpt from Google's Privacy Policy
1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: These restrictions engage GDPR provisions on special category data processing, which require explicit consent or another specific legal basis for processing data revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, health data, or …
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These restrictions establish documented limits on the categories of data used for advertising personalization, distinguishing what the policy prohibits from the broader scope of data Google collects and processes for other purposes.
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