Google Sparks Backlash After Gmail Setting Lets Gemini Peek Inside Inboxes
The post Google Sparks Backlash After Gmail Setting Lets Gemini Peek Inside Inboxes appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
In brief A buried Gmail setting let Gemini analyze emails and calendars unless users opted out. Confusion spread on X and Reddit as people questioned when the feature was enabled. Google said the system came from long-standing smart features that automate routine tasks. A toggle buried inside Gmail set off a public firestorm this week after users realized it allowed Google’s Gemini AI to analyze their emails and calendars by default. Posts across social media showed confusion about when the feature had been enabled and how much personal information it had touched. The uproar intensified as people complained that Google had given no notice that the feature had been activated. Many users said they had never agreed to anything resembling AI training and were surprised to learn their inboxes and scheduling data supported Gemini unless they turned the setting off themselves. “You have been automatically opted in to allow Gmail to access all your private messages & attachments to train AI models,” electronics design engineer and content creator Dave Jones wrote on X. You have to manually turn off Smart Features in the settings menu in two locations.” What Google said Google said the setting came from its updated Smart Features system across Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Chat, and Meet. The company described the tools as conveniences that relied on Workspace data to handle routine tasks. Examples included adding flight details from Gmail to Calendar, showing order-tracking summaries, compiling tickets and loyalty cards in Google Wallet, and letting Gemini reference Drive files while drafting emails. Google said the update gave users more granular controls and did not change its underlying data-handling practices, but noted that these features required access to email, calendar entries, and other Workspace content to work. The problem, however, is that Google did not give users the…
Filed under: News - @ November 21, 2025 2:21 am