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Google confirms Gemini Deep Research can read Gmail and other data.<\/p>\n
NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Google\u2019s Gmail service is, without doubt, the most used free email platform on the planet, with almost 2 billion daily users. Let that sink in for a moment. Now you should appreciate why it\u2019s also a prime target for hackers<\/a>, scammers<\/a> and other threats<\/a>. Many of these, sadly but inevitably, are driven by AI tools<\/a>. Which is why there has been concern over headlines this week that Google is letting its Gemini Deep Research tool read Gmail messages, as well as data from Docs, Drive and Chat. However, there\u2019s a major privacy and security caveat: you have to give it permission first. Here\u2019s what you need to know. <\/p>\n ForbesRestart Google Chrome 142 Now, High-Rated Security Issues ConfirmedBy Davey Winder<\/a>Google Gemini Deep Research Can Now Draw On Context From Your Gmail \u2014 But Only If You Let It<\/p>\n AI, loathe it or loathe it, but everyone is using it. And, because it\u2019s developed by Google, Gemini is among the most popular of the AI research tools out there. I guess that\u2019s why my mailbox has been filling up with concerned followers asking if they need to do anything to stop Gemini from reading their Gmail messages, after numerous publications reported on a Nov. 5 announcement by Google<\/a> confirming that \u201cGemini Deep Research can now draw on context from your Gmail, Drive and Chat and work it directly into your research.\u201d<\/p>\n I get the concerns as, ironically, without context this seems like very bad news indeed \u2014 both from a privacy and security point of view. I say ironically, as it really is all about context. If you want Gemini Deep Research to be able to create the most comprehensive reports, grabbing information directly from your \u201cGmail, Drive (including Docs, Slides, Sheets and PDFs) and Google Chat\u201d then you can do that. But, and here\u2019s the important bit of context missing from some of the articles I\u2019ve seen: only if you \u201cselect Deep Research from the Tools menu in Gemini on desktop and select your sources.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, if you give it permission, and only then. This is not a data snatch-and-grab, just the opposite. Heck, you don\u2019t have to use Gemini at all, in any capacity or let it access any data if you know what to do. You can disable it<\/a> for Gmail, Chrome, Docs, Drive and Photos easily enough. You should also avail yourself of the information contained within the Google Gemini Apps Privacy Hub<\/a>. Mind you, Google does also state \u201cplease don\u2019t enter confidential information that you wouldn\u2019t want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve our services, including machine-learning technologies,” so there is that\u2026<\/p>\n