Google surprised many when it announced on Friday that it will soon stop scanning inboxes of Gmail's free users to target ads. The company, which already doesn't do this for users of its G Suite services, said that it would no longer use Gmail content for ads personalisation for its free users as well, starting later this year.
Until now, Google regularly used to scan Gmail messages of the service's free users to better deliver what the company says "the most useful and relevant ads." Although users can opt-out of the use of their email and other personal information for the personalisation of Gmail ads, Google still scans and filter their email with an automated process. As a result, the users may still continue to receive ads in their inboxes.
Although Google said that it would stop scanning the Gmail content for all its users, ads won't stop showing up in your inboxes. This suggests that the amount of information Google possesses about all its users might just be enough for it to build their advertising profiles.
Google, however, said that the move is aimed at bringing "Gmail ads in line with how we personalize ads for other Google products."
Meanwhile, the company will continue to get user data from your searches, your YouTube watching habits and other Google services.
The Gmail scanning had triggered a lot of controversies ever since it was launched in 2004. However, the huge amount of storage Gmail offered allowed it not only to retain but also to grow its user base. According to Google, Gmail currently has more than 1.2 billion users across the world.
Google, however, said on its support page that it doesn't sell users' personal information for advertising purposes. It also doesn't share users' personal information with advertisers without their consent.
"We are careful about the types of content we serve ads against. For example, Google will not target ads based on sensitive information, such as race, religion, sexual orientation, health, or sensitive financial categories," Google said.
