Google recently changed its privacy settings and can now store additional user data, including images, files, and audio and video recordings. This data may be used to improve and train its own AI models unless users opt out.
This also includes images uploaded via Google Lens, as well as voice input and audio recordings. Voice recordings created, for example, when practising or communicating with Google Translate may also be stored and used for AI training.
Users can disable the storage of such media in the settings, but they must actively make this change. They can also specify how long stored data should be retained before it is automatically deleted.
The change reflects a broader industry trend: technology companies are increasingly using not only publicly available content from the internet, but also data that users upload or generate themselves when using their services. Alongside Google, Meta is taking a similar approach and uses users’ images and other media to train its AI systems.
By Ida Kandler
Source: TechCrunch, 06 July, 2026, by Sarah Perez