Google Starts Scanning All Your Photos As New Update Goes Live

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2026/04/20/google-starts-scanning-all-your-photos-as-new-update-goes-live/

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.nz/post/36750563

Google confirms its latest update can scan all your photos to “use actual images of you and your loved ones” in AI image generation. That means Gemini seeing who you know and what you do. You likely have tens or hundreds of thousands of photos. They’re all exposed if you update.

166 points · 15 comments · view on lemmy.world

15 Comments

wander1236@sh.itjust.works · 64 pts · 119d (3 replies)

That title and excerpt are really misleading. This isn't some app update you install and suddenly Google is scanning all your photos like that Apple CSAM thing that backfired. You have to enable Gemini, then enable Personal Intelligence inside Gemini, and then enable Google Photos linking inside Personal Intelligence.

It's still a dumb and creepy feature in search of a problem that doesn't exist, but it's behind three layers of opt-in.

Witchfire@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 119d (1 reply)

Is it safe to assume it's disabled if I've disabled all AI within workspace

Dojan@pawb.social · 7 pts · 119d

That depends on how willing you are to take Google at face value.

aev_software@programming.dev · 6 pts · 119d

For now. How long before Alphabet forces it down your throat?

LoonyLenny@lemdro.id · 17 pts · 119d

Your biological distinctiveness will be added to our own

Naich@piefed.world · 13 pts · 119d (7 replies)

Just a reminder that self hosting is easy and fun. https://immich.app/

brackled@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 119d

Fun maybe, easy not so much. I would say I have intermediate level knowledge but it was significant effort to setup a home server and then germinification to work reliably. I would still recommend it but would caveat it by said it's a small challenge even just to setup locally. I would NOT recommend it for beginners trying to have remote access.

gigachad@piefed.social · 2 pts · 119d (5 replies)

Do you use a VPN like Tailscale or is your server open to the web? Because I find Tailscale uncomfortable for services that run 24/7 like image syncing and opening my server to the web is neither easy nor fun

Butterphinger@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 119d

I don't open anything with any personal or private data to the web, and I don't trust tailscale when normal wireguard does me just fine and I don't find having a vpn on all the time on my phone an issue.

Dojan@pawb.social · 1 pts · 119d

I recommend Netbird over Tailscale. It has more features, is fully FOSS, and you can self-host it.

Naich@piefed.world · 1 pts · 119d (2 replies)

I'm using Docker on a Raspberry Pi with a couple of RAID 1 SSDs attached. I'm running a DNLA server, torrent client, Immich, Webdav server, Pihole, and DDNS updater. It's all reverse proxied using Traefik. It just chunters away, doing it's thing. If you are careful about the setup and keep on top of updates, it's pretty secure.

It's not for beginners, but Immich is multi-user, so one person can set it up for their whole family and friends to use, share photos etc.

gigachad@piefed.social · 4 pts · 119d (1 reply)

Thanks for the insights! But as I thought, this setup is the opposite of easy, unfortunately.

Naich@piefed.world · 1 pts · 119d

It's comparatively easy compared to what it used to take to do this sort of thing. You only need basic Linux skills to get a full photo sharing system going. Everything can be installed from repositories and there isn't much setting up to do.

CobraChicken3000@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 119d

JFC!

maegul@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 119d

Certainly feels like we’re on the precipice of being lost to a techno-dystopian timeline.

It’s been a long while in the making, but even so, it also feels like we’re sleepily walking right into it.

floralmortal@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 119d
[ removed ]