Gemini could be poking through your emails - here's how to stop it

Gemini could be poking through your emails - here's how to stop it

To think "Don't be evil" used to be Google's motto.

The AI revolution is coming for everything, especially your data. With Big Tech placing AI at the center of every application, the industry foists a Faustian deal upon its customers: hand over your privacy, and we'll deliver productivity gains you never dreamed of. And while those leaps in efficiency are still very much debated, it's clear that companies are set on pushing AI features one way or another.

Google, of course, is no different. Gemini, the company's flagship large language model, is a major pillar of its recent feature push. This year, Google rolled out a host of Gemini-enabled features across Gmail, ranging from voice-activated commands to live AI search features. Gemini can now provide AI-generated summaries of your most recent emails, create to-do lists, draft replies and complete other organizational tasks. Paid subscribers can also access more advanced features, such as AI-enhanced proofreading.

Many of these free features are enabled by default. This has raised concerns about whether Google's deployment of Gemini across its email suite violates users' privacy. Given the wave of lawsuits accusing the AI industry of mass copyright infringement, you'd be excused for asking whether your emails are being treated as fodder for Google's hungry Gemini algorithms.

So, is Google feeding your emails to Gemini? The answer is both yes and no. To execute these tasks, Gemini inherently needs access to the content of your emails. The real issue is whether your data migrates beyond these select uses.

Inside Google's privacy promises

Google released a statement in April 2026 detailing Gemini's interaction with your data. It says that "Google does not train its foundational AI models, including Gemini, on your personal emails." Instead, Gemini only accesses your inbox for "isolated tasks," such as summarizing emails or drafting responses. As Google explains, this means that Gemini "only processes your information to complete your specific request, and doesn't hold onto that data afterward." In other words, Gemini's analysis of your emails is localized within your personal use of the applications.

Google's support page clarifies that such safeguards extend beyond your emails and include Workspace apps like Chat, Calendar, Docs, Drive, Sheets and Slides. It states: "We do not use your Workspace data to train or improve the underlying generative AI and large language models that power Gemini, Search, and other systems outside of Workspace without permission."

"Without permission" is a key caveat here — the permissions change once you link Google's content apps across your account. For instance, Google notes that, when you connect content apps from Google Workspace to Search services, which can enable AI Mode features, it may "use that data to improve Google services for everyone, including by training generative AI models."

However, Google also says Search services "do not train generative AI models directly on your Gmail inbox." Rather, "when you interact with Search, summaries, excerpts, generated media, and inferences from your relevant media, emails, and files may be used to help us answer your prompts. To make our responses relevant, helpful, and high quality, we train our generative AI models off of these summaries, excerpts, generated media, and inferences."

How to control your Google account's smart features

To turn off Gemini, go to your Gmail account and visit Settings. If you're using the app, tap the three lines at the top left corner, scroll down, select Settings and choose your email. Go to Smart features and deselect the box. To remove Gemini from your Workspace apps, tap Google Workspace smart features and clear the checkboxes. These settings apply across your account, so you only need to go through this process once.

In a web browser, click on the Settings button (gear icon) beside your search bar at the top right side. This will bring up a dropdown menu displaying various quick settings. At the top of this dropdown, select See all settings. From here, scroll through your General tab until you find Smart features. Uncheck the box and confirm your choice. Then go back to the General tab, navigate to Google Workspace smart features, click Manage Workspace smart feature settings, turn off both options and click Save.

Unfortunately, there are downsides to disabling Gemini: turning off smart features can also switch off things like spelling and grammar checks. Perhaps as a means of incentivizing users to adopt its AI, Google puts its customers in the uncomfortable position of choosing between basic editing software and potentially invasive features. As a result, you may need to either suffer through meddlesome AI functionalities or learn to trust your own grammatical acuity.

If you don't want to lose these AI features but want to limit what Google uses to train its AI, you can change your Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations settings. By default, your Search Services History and Personalized Recommendations settings are set to your most recent Web & App Activity and Search Personalization settings.

To turn off your Search Services History, sign in to your Google account and go to your Search Services History settings. Here, you choose whether you'd like to turn it off. You can also delete your previously saved activity. To leave the setting on and restrict what it saves, you can adjust your Save Media settings.

To adjust your Personalized Recommendations settings, go to your Google account. Next, visit Data & privacy > Personalization settings. Here, you can turn Personalized Recommendations in Search services on or off.