{"id":264833,"date":"2025-11-06T04:36:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T04:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/264833\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T04:36:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T04:36:14","slug":"i-let-gemini-access-my-gmail-and-its-downright-creepy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/264833\/","title":{"rendered":"I Let Gemini Access My Gmail, and It’s Downright Creepy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part of Gemini’s<\/a> core appeal is its deep integrations with almost every Google app. When I set out to test how the AI chatbot<\/a> works in Gmail, I expected a cute little option to generate responses to emails or, maybe, a tool that could summarize long email threads. Instead, Gemini dove deep into my personal history, carefully analyzing 16 years’ worth of email. <\/p>\n

This invasion of privacy wasn’t just disconcerting, though; it was unexpected. Google didn’t explain what this integration would do before I signed up for its AI Pro plan, nor did it give me a way to opt out at the start. Therefore, I suggest you think twice before signing up for a premium Gemini plan using your main Google account. If you want to let Gemini into your inbox, regardless, here’s what you should expect based on my experiences.<\/p>\n


\n \"Google
\n<\/a> <\/p>\n

4.0<\/p>\n

Excellent<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Our Ratings Mean\n <\/p>\n

5.0 – Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
\n 4.5 – Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
\n 4.0 – Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
\n 3.5 – Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
\n 3.0 – Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
\n 2.5 – Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
\n 2.0 – Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
\n 1.5 – Poor: Do not buy this product
\n 1.0 – Dismal: Don’t even think about buying this product<\/p>\n

\n Read Our
\n Editorial Mission Statement<\/a>
\n and
\n Testing Methodologies<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n


\n Google Gemini
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

SEE ALL SPECS<\/p>\n

\n Specs & Configuration<\/p>\n

4.0<\/p>\n

Excellent<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Our Ratings Mean\n <\/p>\n

5.0 – Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
\n 4.5 – Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
\n 4.0 – Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
\n 3.5 – Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
\n 3.0 – Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
\n 2.5 – Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
\n 2.0 – Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
\n 1.5 – Poor: Do not buy this product
\n 1.0 – Dismal: Don’t even think about buying this product<\/p>\n

\n Read Our
\n Editorial Mission Statement<\/a>
\n and
\n Testing Methodologies<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n


\n \"Google
\n<\/a> <\/p>\n

4.0<\/p>\n

Excellent<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Our Ratings Mean\n <\/p>\n

5.0 – Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
\n 4.5 – Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
\n 4.0 – Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
\n 3.5 – Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
\n 3.0 – Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
\n 2.5 – Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
\n 2.0 – Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
\n 1.5 – Poor: Do not buy this product
\n 1.0 – Dismal: Don’t even think about buying this product<\/p>\n

\n Read Our
\n Editorial Mission Statement<\/a>
\n and
\n Testing Methodologies<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n


\n Google Gemini
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\n Free; Gemini Advanced is free for one month then $19.99\/month
\n at Google Gemini\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

See It<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

\n Free; Gemini Advanced is free for one month then $19.99\/month
\n at Google Gemini\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

See It<\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

How Does Gemini Know That?<\/p>\n

Clicking the Gemini icon in Gmail opens up a sidebar where you can talk to Gemini about your email. In testing, it was able to tell me useful information, such as when my next Trade coffee delivery would arrive and if I had any pressing emails that required responses. But it goes far beyond that.<\/p>\n

When I asked it about my first crush, Gemini was able to determine that it occurred in elementary school, as well as tell me the name of my first love, how we met, and when. Upon request, Gemini also told me who my top Facebook friends were in 2009 and who my best friend was in 2010. Gemini even explained that one of my character flaws is that I get “too laser-focused on what [I] want, which extracts a toll on [my] relationships, much like Drake from the Uncharted game.” And, yes, that\u2019s one of my favorite game franchises, which apparently Gemini knows, too.<\/p>\n

\"Gemini<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: Google\/PCMag)\n<\/p>\n

How does Gemini know that? The simple answer is that the information is somewhere within the 16 years’ worth of my email history that it can access. Why does Gemini sometimes end its messages with \u201cCheers, Ruben\u201d as if it\u2019s me? Gemini can write emails for me in my unique style with its\u00a0new Smart Reply feature<\/a>, but it really shouldn’t adopt my style when I talk to it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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That may be a simple bug, but I also find the possibilities of Smart Reply worrying, given my previous experiences: What if Gemini includes deeply personal information in an email, and I accidentally send it out? My main takeaway is that I find all of this intensely unsettling.<\/p>\n

Can You Trust Google to Protect Your Privacy?<\/p>\n

What does Google do with information about my character flaws and love life? Its privacy policy<\/a> is fairly clear: Google collects a variety of information when you use Gemini, which includes your entire chat history. The company uses this information to improve its products and train its large language models<\/a>. However, Google doesn’t use Gemini data from Google Workspace<\/a> apps, like Gmail, for training, ad targeting, or selling<\/a>. I appreciate the guarantee, but I don\u2019t fully trust Google.<\/p>\n

Just in 2025, Google agreed to pay out $1.375 billion for collecting Texans\u2019 biometric data without consent<\/a>, and a state-sponsored group exploited a flaw in Google Chrome to spy on Russian users<\/a>. In 2024, Google came under fire for \u2018misleading and aggressive\u2019 data practices<\/a>. Google\u2019s historical track record isn\u2019t any better, as evidenced by the Google+ leak of user information<\/a> in 2018 and the Gmail password leak<\/a> in 2014.<\/p>\n

Gemini or no Gemini, my data is on Google\u2019s servers, so I am susceptible to all manner of hacks and leaks. However, Gemini in my email means that a bad actor might not just gain access to my account or information but also to a convenient tool they can use to get information about pretty much any major event in my life for the better part of two decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recommended by Our Editors<\/p>\n

Should You Give Gemini Access to Your Email?<\/p>\n

This question doesn\u2019t have a simple answer, and a lot of it depends on your views on online privacy<\/a>. I don\u2019t like Gemini in my email or my Google Drive<\/a> files (which is another integration that happens automatically when you sign up for the premium Gemini subscription), but I’m much more open to Gemini in a professional capacity.<\/p>\n

As someone who makes his living largely working from home on the internet, I\u2019m used to using accounts and devices that aren\u2019t entirely mine. I don\u2019t get nearly as creeped out knowing Gemini can analyze my work interactions with PR representatives or see my meeting history. I’m open to hearing about, say, how the way I schedule meetings reflects poorly on my character.<\/p>\n

Whether you feel comfortable with Gemini in your email or anywhere else is entirely up to you. Just make sure you know what\u2019s in your data and that you\u2019re comfortable with a chatbot that can learn intimate facts about you before you decide to give it access to your email. As for me, it’s all too unnerving. I don’t plan on letting Gemini access my personal email anymore.<\/p>\n

How to Kick Gemini Out of Your Gmail<\/p>\n

Google doesn’t make it clear how to turn Gemini off in Gmail, but it’s possible. Go to Gmail’s settings, and click the “Manage Workplace smart feature settings” button. Here, you can toggle smart features (including Gemini) in Google Workplace off. If you click on the Gemini button going forward, it simply prompts you to turn smart features back on.<\/p>\n

About Our Expert<\/p>\n

\"Ruben<\/p>\n

Ruben Circelli<\/p>\n

Writer, Software<\/p>\n

Experience<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been writing about consumer technology and video games for over a decade at a variety of publications, including Destructoid, GamesRadar+, Lifewire, PCGamesN, Trusted Reviews, and What Hi-Fi?, among many others. At PCMag, I review AI and productivity software\u2014everything from chatbots to to-do list apps. In my free time, I\u2019m likely cooking something, playing a game, or tinkering with my computer.<\/p>\n


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