Google’s Gemini Breaches Users’ Data
Google’s Gemini AI criticism is being spoken about scanning PDF files on Google Drive without requiring the permission of users.
The breach was first discovered when Senior Advisor Kevin Bankston, specialized in AI governance, decided to share his alarming experience with Gemini and Google Drive on the X (FKA Twitter).
Unwelcomed Surprise
Bankston revealed that he noticed that a confidential tax return document, which was stored in his Google Drive account has been automatically AI generated summary without even any active initiation on his part.
In an attempt to solve the problem, the senior advisor tried multiple times to disable Gemini’s integration with Google Drive, but it has been shown to be very complicated, and the potential flaws related to privacy controls. All attempts failed and Bankston asked assistance from Google’s AI chatbot to locate settings, but it was useless.
With the help of an X user, Bankston then discovered that the feature that allows Gemini to provide AI summaries was initially disabled.
Contradiction Between Promises and Reality
Speaking of the big tech’s documentation related to data privacy assurances, Google confirmed that the company does not use Google Workspace data to train its AI services or for targeted advertising.
Bankston assumed that his participation in Google Workspace Labs in the past, might have affected the behavior of Gemini, noting that the side panel of the chatbot in Google Drive, which provides AI summaries for PDFs could be deactivated if the user is not willing to use the feature.
Commenting on the incident, a spokesperson for Google stated to TechRadar Pro by email, “Our generative AI features are designed to give users choice and keep them in control of their data. Using Gemini AI criticism in Google Workspace requires a user to proactively enable it, and when they do their content is used in a privacy-preserving manner to generate useful responses to their prompts but is not otherwise stored without permission.”
It is true that Google’s assurances give priority to user safety and control, however the incident highlights the need for being clearer and more effective when it comes to privacy controls, because the more AI is advancing, the more it is being involved in digital tools.
Final Thoughts
This situation underscores the real need for more transparent and user-friendly controls when integrating AI functionalities into products, not only for Google but also for all tech companies who are working hard to help users in streamlining their daily tasks. So, it falls under tech companies’ responsibility to address all concerns related to privacy and user experience.
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