How much do you trust Google with the data you provide it?

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

🗣️ This is an open thread. We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll below — your take might be featured in a future roundup.

Google is a technology heavyweight — that’s just a fact. Despite this, it still needs our data for many of its services to function effectively. Whether we’re offering up our Gemini prompts, Google Photos, or Maps reviews, we’re contributing to the company’s growth little by little and the steady improvements of the features it provides. But are we silly to trust it with the amount of data we give it?

A recent article by my colleague Adamya Sharma triggered this thought. A recently issued and vaguely worded email explained that a forthcoming July update to Gemini will “help you use Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities on your phone, whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off.” That’s worrying, isn’t it?

Well, it turns out it was just a poorly drafted email (perhaps Google should’ve used Gemini to write it). In a statement, Google clarified that there’s nothing to worry about, and that “users can turn off Gemini’s connection to apps at any time“ through Gemini’s apps portal. Users still have control over what data Gemini has access to.

Still, given the noise surrounding this email, it’s clear that users are in two minds about Google’s (and its industry contemporaries’) data privacy practices. With the importance of user data growing each day, I want to know where you stand.

Here are the questions: Why don’t you (or why do you) trust Google with your data?

Are you comfortable giving Gemini and other AI tools more access to your data?

Would you trade your data for more, freely available, or better-integrated AI features?

How frequently do you review your Google account’s privacy and security settings?

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