Your inbox, your photos, their ads?

Imagine asking an artificial intelligence assistant to help plan a vacation. It checks a hotel reservation in your email, notices your travel dates, and recommends a few nearby restaurants. Helpful? Certainly. But what if information gathered during that process also helps determine which advertisements you see?

That question became more pressing on October 16, when Google updated its privacy policy. And although Microsoft follows different rules, it deserves just as much attention.

What Google Changed

Google’s change is specific. For years, the company said it would not personalize advertisements using content from Gmail, Google Drive, or Google Photos. Its revised policy makes an exception when a person chooses to connect those services to other Google services that support personalized advertising.

Google’s Personal Intelligence features can use information from connected applications to tailor results. According to Google’s own explanation, Search may use summaries or inferences drawn from connected information when choosing ads. The company says advertisements are not based directly on your entire inbox or photo library, and advertisers do not receive access to those private collections.

In other words, this is not an announcement that Google is handing your family photographs to advertisers. It is a change in what information can help shape advertising after you enable certain connections.

What About Microsoft?

Microsoft has its own practices, and they are not identical.

People using free personal Outlook accounts may see advertisements. Microsoft says that, in certain regions, users who opt in can allow Outlook to analyze messages from commercial senders, such as retailers, newsletters, and receipts, to learn which businesses interest them. Microsoft says it excludes personal messages from friends and family.

Then there is consumer Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant. Microsoft says advertisements can relate to a current Copilot interaction, including files shared in that conversation. When settings permit, past Copilot conversations may also influence personalized advertising. Microsoft provides separate controls for ad personalization and Copilot’s memory.

There is an important limit: Microsoft says it does not use private person-to-person emails or files simply stored in OneDrive to target ads. And business subscriptions have different protections from free consumer products. Microsoft’s workplace Copilot services also have additional enterprise safeguards.

So, is one company doing exactly what the other is doing? No. But both show how personal information, AI assistance, and advertising can become closely connected.

The Question Every Consumer Should Ask

For the average household, the hardest part may be knowing which features are turned on. Most of us don’t read every privacy-policy revision, and a button promising a more helpful experience rarely explains every possible consequence in plain English.

At Megabite, we believe convenience should come with clear choices. Start by visiting Google’s My Ad Center and Microsoft’s privacy dashboard. Review connected apps, personalized ads, and any AI features you’ve enabled. Remember that disabling personalized ads doesn’t necessarily stop every form of data collection.

The goal isn’t to frighten people away from useful technology. It’s to make sure we remain in charge of our own information.

Next week: Why leaving Google or Microsoft can be so difficult, and how to regain some freedom without turning your digital life upside down.

Deryck Burnett is the founder of Megabite, a technology, creative and multimedia company on Amelia Island. Reach the team at 904-430-0350 or Megabite.