Google’s popular email service, Gmail, has over 2 billion daily users, making it a prime target for hackers and scammers. Recently, concerns arose about the company’s Gemini Deep Research tool accessing user data from Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Chat. However, there’s an important caveat: you need to give permission first.
The Gemini Deep Research tool is a powerful AI research tool developed by Google. It allows users to create comprehensive reports by grabbing information directly from their “Gmail, Drive (including Docs, Slides, Sheets, and PDFs) and Google Chat.” But here’s the catch: you can only do this if you select “Deep Research” from the Tools menu in Gemini on desktop and choose your sources.
In other words, the tool is designed to respect user privacy. You don’t have to use Gemini or let it access any data if you want to. In fact, you can easily disable it for Gmail, Chrome, Docs, Drive, and Photos. The Google Gemini Apps Privacy Hub also provides more information on how to control your data.
While there’s a note from Google stating that users shouldn’t share confidential information with the tool, this is an important clarification. With permission and context, the Gemini Deep Research tool can be a valuable resource for users who understand its capabilities and limitations.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2025/11/09/gemini-ai-can-read-your-gmail-now-google-says—meh