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At I/O 2021 on Tuesday, Google spent part of the keynote talking about privacy and security. It’s following that up with a prominent “We protect your privacy” message in Gmail and Google Photos.
In Gmail, the “We protect your privacy” banner appears above your list of messages on both the web and mobile, with similar prompts in Google Photos and Drive spotted. It features the same blue shield that Google uses to signify privacy/security. Those on free accounts started seeing the message on Tuesday, while Workspace users are not seeing this message.
Your email content is kept safe and secure and never used for any ads purposes
Gmail
Your files are kept safe and never used for ads
Google Drive
Your photos and videos are kept safe and secure and never used for any ads purposes
Google Photos
Meanwhile, there’s a “Learn more” button that opens a “Safer with Google” page hosted at myaccount.google.com. The company first reiterates that it doesn’t use content in Drive, Gmail, and Photos for advertising, and then explaining the safety features in Search, Pay, Gmail, and Chrome/Safe Browsing.
After the information, Google provides tips on how you can stay safe online. This includes reviewing privacy suggestions, Password Checkup, and any found security issues. This page ends by encouraging users to use Sign in with Google on third-party apps and sites, 2-Step Verification, and a Password Manager.
This follows Google making the same case on-stage at I/O in a segment that announced how Assistant and Duplex can guide you through changing your password in Chrome for Android.
Another core principle is ensuring that each of our products is private by design. This means continuously making thoughtful decisions about when, how, and why data is used in our products, including data that’s used for ads.
Our principles drive us to draw a strict line between what’s in and what’s out. For example, we never sell your personal information to anyone. We never use the content you store in apps like Gmail, Photos, and Drive for ads purposes. And we never use sensitive information to personalize ads like health, race, religion, or sexual orientation. It’s simply off limits.
Jen Fitzpatrick (SVP, Core)