this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
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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.

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[–] renegadespork@lemmy.jelliefrontier.net 118 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I warned most of my family and friends this was going to happen when I de-Googled and set up Immich and they all said I was paranoid.

[–] iLStrix@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I wish I could do that... I even learned like 70% of the knowledge I would need to do something like that.... Now I just need the hardware market to crash, so I can actually fucking afford the hardware to do it.

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[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 81 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Why search for a doctor’s appointment when Google has access to all your calendar events. Why search for a party invite when it reads all your emails. And why search for a specific photo of you and your loved ones to create an image, when it sees all your photos.

They try very hard to sell this as something positive and not the privacy invasive nightmare it is.

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[–] XLE@piefed.social 76 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Does it matter if you don't update? I imagine they already have it on their servers, which is where I imagine the photos are mostly processed.

[–] Blaster_M@lemmy.world 79 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Since decades, Google Photos is cloud storage. Update or no, they already got your photos for this.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 48 points 2 months ago (2 children)

The more offensive part is, Google Photos is not only the default image viewer on (Google's) Android, but (Google's) Camera app will only open pictures in it too. So it's cloud crap that's also literally programmed into a lot of people's cameras.

[–] MalReynolds@slrpnk.net 38 points 2 months ago (7 children)

Check out https://github.com/CaramelFur/GPhotosShim which stops GCam from using Photos. This is why my gOS uses GCam with network denied (because it works way better on Pixels than the OSS equivalent).

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 7 points 2 months ago

Nice thanks. I was getting annoyed with that and have recently degoogled. The camera appnseems good for pixels though. I might switch back now.

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[–] feannag@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 months ago

Unless you deny network permission for Photos, which I highly recommend.

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[–] Forester@pawb.social 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

And this is why you don't opt in to backup your photos

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[–] architect@thelemmy.club 53 points 2 months ago (5 children)

I went back to Polaroid for my nudes.

[–] IratePirate@feddit.org 26 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I've gone even further back, having mine painted on Greek pottery

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[–] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 20 points 2 months ago
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[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 52 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Voiding my privacy, stealing my IP and opening me up to liabilities....and tis all legal... fuck all of you who gargled their balls and betrayed your own interests for what amounts to digital toys.

[–] Butterphinger@lemmy.zip 46 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] osanna@lemmy.vg 33 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Exactly. It's google. They're scanning EVERYTHING. Even if you don't use google, they probably know about you from OTHERS' devices who are using google.

[–] lostoncalantha@lemmy.world 43 points 2 months ago (13 children)

GrapheneOS works great for me. Not a lot you can do on stock android that you can’t do on GrapheneOS. I would highly recommend anyone looking for privacy to look into it. Very very easy to install. Just make sure you have a Pixel phone that is unlocked. I’ve been using it as my daily driver for two years now.

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

GrapheneOS isn't a replacement for Google Photos though? What do you use for photo backups? (Immich seems like the obvious answer, but I'd like to know if there's more options out there)

[–] snrkl@lemmus.org 7 points 2 months ago (3 children)

It let's you run Google Photos without network permissions and with storage scopes limiting it to certain folders.

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[–] CanIFishHere@lemmy.ca 30 points 2 months ago (10 children)

If you're able to manage a Docker container, you could consider Immich. It works great, has client apps for iOS and Android. Open Source. I've been using it for a few years now.

https://github.com/immich-app/immich

[–] Rookeh@startrek.website 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Same, I set it up a few years ago and both me and my partner have been using it since then with no issues at all, it's completely replaced Google Photos for us.

We've also set up immich-frame and repurposed an old Google Nest hub to use as a digital photo frame.

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[–] vratajin@piefed.social 26 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

That's a terrible article though and seems quite click-baity, it's hard to say what's going on just based on that.
It also says

We’re talking Personal Intelligence, Google’s latest AI upgrade path which lets users opt-in to connecting Google apps to Gemini.
If it's opt-in, it's fine, as long as the user knows what exactly they are opting in for.

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 15 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Even when they say it's optional, it's never actually optional. They are always enabling it in the background and just preventing you from seeing that.

But even if they actually did use an opt-in system properly, they would still only do that for like 6 months, and then in the next update you'd be forced to use it. And who can stop them? There is no alternative.

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[–] socsa@piefed.social 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

The way they are doing it is kind of sketchy though. They are replacing the old search functionality with Gemini and now if you click the search icon in Google photos it immediately pops up asking you to pick your own face. There's no option to skip this step, though you can still revert to the old search for now.

The creepy part is that when they ask you to select your face, it's pretty clear they've already figured it out, because it's the first face they show you.

[–] LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 8 points 2 months ago

Except anyone else that has ever taken my picture can opt-in for me, and I have no way of knowing if they did or not.

[–] EtzBetz@feddit.org 23 points 2 months ago

Time to finally finish setting up my immich instance properly.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 18 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

If you install immich in your homelab, you can just transfer all the images off your device very easily with the immich app.

Probably the only way to keep them private from big tech. But the long term solution is to not use the official Android or Apple systems and to root your phone and install cyanogenmod or something similar without Google apps.

But that means some apps wont work at all, so thats the price to pay for that freedom.

Or you can just buy a separate camera and stop using your phone for that.

[–] Imaginary_Stand4909@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 2 months ago (10 children)

Alright, I already transfered the pics to my Immich a month ago anyway, time to delete my shit outright...

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yeah. Because Google would never keep the images anyway.

[–] Imaginary_Stand4909@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, but at least it'll all be outdated and nothing new is added. And hey, maybe in the future we could get laws that force them to delete anything older than a certain date. Would leaving them there be any better?

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 14 points 2 months ago

Time to invert the colors of some extra weird porn and stuff my Google drive to the brim.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 12 points 2 months ago

I thought they always did this?

[–] PM_ME_YOUR_BOOBIES@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago (3 children)

It's also opt in. Although I'd be surprised if anyone commenting here is actually using google photos in the first place.

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 21 points 2 months ago (2 children)

It's also opt in

For now.

I've been dragging my feet moving to grapheneOS, but shit like this is going to encourage me to make the jump sooner than later

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[–] yermaw@sh.itjust.works 16 points 2 months ago

There'll be quite a few of us. I have no idea of the actual demographics or whatever, but a lot of people are here just because they got shafted by reddit one too many times.

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 10 points 2 months ago

Pandora's Tech Box opened long ago. It's already way too late.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 10 points 2 months ago

Decision to move to Immich on my own hardware years ago validated

[–] Mwa@thelemmy.club 9 points 2 months ago (3 children)
[–] Danny220@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

from what I understood, you have to opt in. so by default, Gemini will not have access to your gallery. It's just matter of time tho when will Google force this upon it's users imo

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[–] NGC2346@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Timing is insane, i took out everything and put it on my NAS 2 weeks ago. Glad i removed everything.

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[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (3 children)

An AI update that is 'opt in' and not 'opt out'?

Truly Shocking!

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[–] IratePirate@feddit.org 8 points 2 months ago

Thanks, I hate it!

[–] DFX4509B@lemmy.wtf 8 points 2 months ago

This is why I recommend using dedicated cameras that don't connect to the web. Well, one reason, the other reason is because dedicated cameras will always outperform phone cams.

[–] angband@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

These intrusive app rollouts are why they want to disable open source repositories. I have google photos disabled, and use gallery from fdroid. I have to manually leave the camera to look at photos but at least if I take a pic in private it probably stays private.

[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

This system is being built to coordinate the control of our lives...I feel like I'm watching a slow moving disaster powered by the unparalleled mental prowess of the average American.

[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Well thats just lovely

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