Google won't scan your Gmail anymore for ad targeting
The tech giant will stop combing through emails to tailor ads. But it’s not like it doesn't have all your info anyway.
Close-up view of Google apps on an Android smartphone, including Gmail.
In an era where we've all resigned ourselves to the fact that Google knows all our personal information anyway, the company announced Friday that it will stop scanning personal Gmail inboxes for ad targeting purposes.
Google already refrains from tailoring ads by combing though Gmail accounts in its G Suite platform for enterprise and businesses. It will stop doing so for personal Gmail inboxes sometime later this year.
This doesn't mean you won't see ads anymore. The difference now is that the ads will now be based on your user settings.
It also doesn't mean Google will stop reading your emails. It will still go through them so its AI services can tailor those Smart Replies you see at the end of your emails. Google is also working on enabling features like "payments and invoicing directly within Gmail," which would need to scan your content.