In a post that lit up social media in November 2025, a claim was made that all users had been opted in to allow Gmail to train Google’s AI models. While the fact that the tweet ended with the sentence “Retweet so every is aware” may have been a hint that this wasn’t coming from a great source, the post gained significant enough traction to spawn some misleading news articles. The post and its claim have since been debunked by Snopes.
Google Smart Features: On by Default and Firewalled by Google
The post was spurred when a vlogger saw that Google’s Smart Features were on by default on his account. A Google spokesperson, Jenny Thomson, stated that Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years, and Google does not use Gmail content for training any of its AI models.
Smart features allow users to personalize their experiences in each Google Workspace app. Gemini, Google’s AI, is integrated with these smart features to further enhance the experience. Google takes security very seriously and only uses the data gathered from an individual’s smart features and/or Gemini to improve that individual’s experience, and nothing more. That data does not go beyond their own company’s Google Workspace accounts.
Google says in a 2023 blog post that “Your data stays in Workspace. We do not use your Workspace data to train or improve the underlying generative AI and large language models that power Bard, Search, and other systems outside of Workspace without permission.” Bard was the predecessor to Gemini.
While it is possible to turn smart features off, this isn’t in a user’s best interest as they will lose out on things like autocomplete in Gmail, helpful tips to add events to their calendar, reminders that a file hasn’t been attached, and so on. In any case, information from smart features is not shared with the world, or anyone outside of the company Google Workspace account, so it’s not necessary to turn them off.
How does tech misinformation spread?
In the tech journalism world, everyone is racing to get the next scoop. Whoever puts something out first usually wins in terms of traffic and traction. The pressure to be “first poster” can lead some bloggers and even journalists to publish posts and articles that contain misunderstandings rather than proper information.
Trained journalists know that slow and steady wins the race, and that facts need to be checked.
Many bloggers, vloggers, and other amateur tech influencers don’t have this training. “Fails” by tech companies are prone to going viral, so the temptation to post a story like this without verification with the company and other sources would have been very high. Most reputable outlets would not have published this story, and the misguided articles which were posted based on the initial tweet came from minor digital news websites outside of the mainstream media.
Data Privacy at Google: Serious Business
Trust is at the core of a tech company’s relationship with its customers. Google is one of the largest and most recognized technology companies in the world, with the resources to lock down not just security, but data privacy. It also allows its users to granularly control data privacy so they can decide what is shared with whom.
Google does not need access to user data to train its AI models, including Gemini. It owns the largest search engine in the world, and much of Gemini’s training is based on Google’s search engine. With Google, your information is always private, and your company data is protected by world-class security.
Do you want to make the move to Google Workspace? UpCurve Cloud has helped countless companies that want better security and collaboration from their productivity suite make the switch. Contact us today for a consultation.
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