Yes, you heard it right! Google Gemini AI service can view private Drive documents without explicit user consent. This raises serious concerns about Google’s handling of AI technology. In this article, we will discuss what’s exactly going on here.
Google Gemini AI: Privacy Concerns Arise
Google’s Gemini AI gained good attention almost overnight, but recently the application has sparked controversy which might eventually damage the company’s reputation. In just a few months Google integrated Gemini with features like document analysis, email replies, and predictive text suggestions across Google Workspace. But, despite these benefits, a serious issue has arisen. Gemini AI can now view private Google Drive documents without user approval, causing serious privacy issues.
Users Concern
Kevin Bankston, a Senior Advisor on AI Governance signalized this issue first. He says Gemini automatically summarized his tax return in Google Docs without prompting.
Just pulled up my tax return in @Google Docs–and unbidden, Gemini summarized it. So…Gemini is automatically ingesting even the private docs I open in Google Docs? WTF, guys. I didn’t ask for this. Now I have to go find new settings I was never told about to turn this crap off.
— Kevin Bankston (@KevinBankston) July 10, 2024
Bankston found that after activating Gemini for one document, it automatically activates all subsequent files of the same type within Google Drive. This doesn’t stop here, Google Gemini will then be activated automatically for any future files of the same kind that are opened within Google Drive.
When questioned about this matter, Google support and Gemini AI seemed unaware of the exact circumstances. Or maybe they’re just not ready to admit their mistake yet? Gemini claimed that privacy settings should be easily available, but they were not. This might mean either an AI “hallucination (lying)” or an internal problem with the system.
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Eventually, Bankston found the settings toggle, and along with that, he also found Gemini summaries for Gmail, Drive, and Docs were already disabled. The settings, however, were in an entirely different location than where the Gemini’s bot had indicated.
On the other hand, he added that this problem occurred only in Google Drive, not in other places. And the problem started when he pressed the Gemini button on at least one document. So Bankston thinks this problem might be due to a setting (Google Workspace Labs) he turned on in 2023, which is now messing up how Gemini is supposed to work.
A Wake-Up Call for Privacy in AI Technology
While this may (or may not) limit the issue to Workspace Labs users, it represents a severe privacy breach for those who helped test Google’s latest technology. This incident highlights the critical importance of user consent, especially regarding sensitive information.
Google’s failure to maintain its control over data access for even a segment of its user base is a major mistake. Especially because Google is such a big and important company and because people are worried about how quickly and aggressively AI is becoming a part of our lives.
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