What does the new message everyone is receiving from Gmail mean: "Agree to let Google use your..."?

If you use Google, which is highly likely, you most likely have at least one Gmail account registered, as Google's email service is required to use the browser and take advantage of all its services and benefits.

We see it as a two-for-one, as it allows us to access tools like Drive, Google Maps, and Google Photos, among others, in a more personalized way, while also providing an email account with everything that entails. However, Google isn't just doing this to make your life easier; they're also interested in you using their entire ecosystem.

For many years, this has been done to gather our data and tastes, as this information can be sold to advertisers with the goal of sending us targeted ads that appeal to us. For example, Google detects that you like CrossFit and you start seeing ads for gyms, sportswear, and similar products related to this hobby.

But now, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, the company is also interested in training this technology with real human data so that the AI ​​understands and knows how to assist us. Again, this sounds great, but there's certainly a very important aspect to keep in mind: opening our accounts wide poses a risk to our privacy.

And now, Google's email service is putting us at a crossroads, forcing us to choose between the ease and convenience of AI or our privacy— a dilemma facing Gmail's more than 3 billion users.

In recent weeks, when you opened Gmail, you may have seen a message before you could launch the app asking if you "Are you happy for Google Workspace to use your content and activity on Google Workspace to personalize your experience with Google Workspace?"

The message lists all the benefits of allowing Google's AI , Gemini, to access your email and assist you in various ways, whether it's summarizing messages, finding information for you, or performing customized searches so you don't have to.

The truth is that this seems like and could represent a step forward in terms of interacting with an app like this, but as we said before, it's a technology incompatible with end-to-end encrypted emails, which in these times are essential for our cybersecurity.

And while Gmail is trying to address this situation, Gmail users are faced with a choice: whether to choose the benefits and convenience offered by built-in AI or prioritize the privacy of their account and protect all their emails.