The claim
After Google updated its privacy policy, outlets wrote that the company may use Gmail and Google Photos to target ads. It sounds as though every mailbox owner is affected.
What the policy says
The October 16 change concerns users who connected Gmail, Calendar or Photos to Search through the Personal Intelligence feature. Google added an exception: Search may process the data you allow it to access to personalize content, including ads. Anyone who never turned the feature on sees no change. Google says ads are not built directly on your inbox or photo library, advertisers get no access to them, and sensitive topics such as health, religion and race are not targeted.
Where the headline still has a point
The word directly leaves room for summaries, excerpts and inferences the system draws from messages and pictures. Turning off personalized ads in My Ad Center does not necessarily stop that data from being used for AI personalization. Disconnecting an app does not erase what was already collected, and the history has to be cleared by hand in My Activity.
Bottom line
This is not blanket surveillance of every inbox, and it is not trivial for those who switched the feature on. Settings can be checked under Search Services Personalization, in the Connected Content Apps section.