Gmail users warned: You may be opted into AI training, check two settings to protect data
A recent alert from a tech expert has prompted Gmail users re exmine their privacy settings after claims surfaced the Google might be automatically opting users in to allow access to their private messages for AI traning. this warning, which quickly went viral on socil media, highlights ongoing concerns about personal Engineering YouTuber Daver Jones described the alleged opt-in as a”digital Trojan Horse.”
Jones claims that Gmail users have been “automatically OPTED IN to allow gmail to access all your private messages & attachments to train AI models.” According to him, these change requir manual action to reverse specifically instructing users: “You have to manually turn off smart Features in the settings menu TWO location.”
to help users address these privacy concerns, jones provided a guide for desktop and laptop users: first, click on “see all settings,” find the “smart feature” setting and uncheck “turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet.” then select “Manage Workplace smart feature setting” to further adjust permission related to Google Workspace and other Google products. This two-step process aimed at limiting personal email data exposure to AI-driven features.
The adjustment do more than restrict data usage for AI-they also turn off tools like the “Ask Gemini” featurre, which offers content summaries and suggestion powered by Google Assistant from the Gemini App. mobile user are advised to open their setting from the inbox menu,tap “data privacy,” and manage booth “smart features”and “Google Workspace smart features.”
Howerver, disabling these optioncomes with a trade-off. Many popular tools,such as “smart compose,”email filtering into “promotion” and “social” categories, and basics like spell-check, grammar check, and autocorrect, will be deactivated.
These concerns follow a lawsuit filed on November 25by llinois resident Thomas Thele (via Bloomberg), who alleged that “Google secretly turned on Gemini for all its user’ Gmail, chat, and Meet accounts, enabling AI to track its user’ private communication withaot their knowledge or consent.”The filing claimed that ” As of the date of this filing Google contonues to tract these private communication with Gemini by default, requiring users to affirmatively find this data privacy setting and shut it off, despite never’agreeing’ to AItracking,” intensifying scrutiny of Google’s privacy policies.
The setting, india Today Tech can confirm,are live at the time of writing Be sure to check if yours are on by default.the good news is that you can turn them off manually if you want more control over your digital life if you have any concerns over privacy, you know what to do.
#Gmail.com #Google #Privacy Settings
