Privacy Advocates Win – Google Will No Longer Scan Gmail for Ad Targeting

Soon, Google will no longer scan Gmail accounts to serve targeted ads.The company announced the change at the end of June. The move is seen as a victory for privacy advocates.But maybe not such a victory for digital marketers.Here’s what you need to know about Google’s new policy and how it might impact your online marketing efforts.Once upon a time, Google would literally “read” the email of Gmail users.That wasn’t out of sheer curiosity or so it could get into the personal business of it users (although some people might think that to be the case). Instead, Google read emails so that it could determine user interests.Then, the company could show them targeted AdWords ads.That was a gift to digital marketers. It was like they could determine who was in their target market by reading people’s emails.