{"id":428018,"date":"2026-01-25T00:40:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T00:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/428018\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T00:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T00:40:10","slug":"if-you-use-gmail-you-may-want-to-disable-this-automatic-setting-right-now-before-its-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/428018\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Use Gmail, You May Want To Disable This Automatic Setting Right Now Before It’s Too Late"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another day, another \u201cfeature\u201d turned on in a load-bearing app that you might want to turn off.\"Person<\/p>\n

Fizkes \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

For Gmail users, there is an automatic opt-in that may allow Google access to your emailed data (think: your personal and work messages, your attachments) \u201cto train AI models,\u201d cybersecurity experts allege. If you don\u2019t want this information shared, you need to adjust your settings.\"Person<\/p>\n

Tamer Soliman \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

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\u201cIMPORTANT message for everyone using Gmail. You have been automatically OPTED IN to allow Gmail to access all your private messages & attachments to train AI models,\u201d Engineer Dave Jones shared on X<\/a> earlier this week. \u201cYou have to manually turn off Smart Features in the Setting menu in TWO locations.\u201d<\/p>\n

@eevblog \/ Via Twitter: @eevblog<\/a><\/p>\n

In the race for companies to get an ROI on AI, we\u2019re already seeing language learning models running out of new, human-generated data to train on. And as HuffPost has previously reported<\/a>, tools like AI assistants that automatically take meeting notes were already being considered an opportunity to passively gain data from users in work settings. (Even boring corporate meetings aren\u2019t exempt!)\"Gmail<\/p>\n

via Associated Press<\/p>\n

\u201cGoogle uses information to improve our services and to develop new products, features and technologies that benefit our users and the public. For example, we use publicly available information to help train Google\u2019s AI models and build products and features like Google Translate, Gemini Apps, and Cloud AI capabilities,\u201d according to the company\u2019s privacy policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Notably, Bloomberg<\/a> reports there is already a proposed class-action lawsuit against Google<\/a>. Per the complaint<\/a>, users are alleging that the company \u201csecretly\u201d turned on Gemini to \u201caccess and exploit the entire recorded history of its users\u2019 private communications, including literally every email and attachment sent and received in their Gmail accounts.\u201d\"A<\/p>\n

Jacob Wackerhausen \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Google did not immediately answer HuffPost\u2019s question about the process of opting users in and out of these features, or the class action lawsuit.\u00a0A spokesperson for Google told HuffPost via email that the reports are \u201cmisleading,\u201d noting that \u201cGmail Smart Features have existed for many years, and we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model.\u201d The spokesperson added, \u201cwe are always transparent and clear if we make changes to our terms of service and policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, if you would still like more control over how AI is used in your life (the Pew Research Center<\/a> reports that 6 in 10 Americans share this concern), there\u2019s some good news: You can turn it off.<\/p>\n

Read on to find out how.<\/p>\n

Turning Off Gmail\u2019s AI-Training Opt-In<\/p>\n

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\"Person<\/p>\n

Benixs \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

To get this feature turned off, you need to open up your settings and manually opt out in two different locations.On desktop, you go to your settings (the little cog up in the top corner) and look in the \u201cGeneral\u201d tab. There, you can do your first opt-out and unselect the \u201cSmart features\u201d\"Email<\/p>\n

HuffPost\/Google<\/p>\n

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Next, you click into the \u201cManage Workplace smart feature settings\u201d (pictured above), and it will take you to a secondary pop-up that allows you to toggle on and off the features in Google Workspace and other Google products.Opting out of the former will turn off the \u201cAsk Gemini\u201d feature that summarizes content, as well as personalized search and events from your email being automatically added to your calendar.The latter will opt you out of features showing restaurant reservations and to-go orders in Maps, suggested tickets or loyalty cards to use in Wallet and answers, reminders and suggestions from Google Assistant and the Gemini app.If you\u2019re on mobile, you can change these settings by going to your settings page (located at the bottom of the inbox menu) and select \u201cData privacy.\u201d From there, you can toggle off \u201cSmart features\u201d and click into the \u201cGoogle Workspace smart features\u201d menu to turn off the feature for Workspace and Google products again.\"Smartphone<\/p>\n

Google\/HuffPost<\/p>\n

One annoying part of this is that some useful Gmail features we\u2019ve gotten used to are eliminated by opting out. Things like \u201csmart compose,\u201d as well as the feature that automatically filters your emails into \u201cpromotional\u201d and \u201csocial\u201d inboxes, and even spell-check, grammar check and autocorrect are currently tied to the Gemini opt-in.<\/p>\n

So, as you opt out of sharing your information, you might want to consider whether you\u2019re ready to lose some features in exchange. And you\u2019ll probably have to read your emails a bit more carefully.<\/p>\n

But for many concerned with their privacy, that\u2019s better than letting something else do it.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.<\/a><\/p>\n

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