Recently, technology media Ars Technica reported that Google launched a new strategy this Monday, allowing the Gemini AI assistant to interact with third-party applications such as WhatsApp. This change has raised many users' privacy concerns, although many had previously set up to prevent such interactions.

Google notified users of this new policy via email, clearly stating that even if users choose to disable related interactions, Gemini AI can still access some apps, including WhatsApp, Messages, and Phone. The email also mentioned that human reviewers will read, annotate, and process the data accessed by Gemini, which is retained for 72 hours during storage.

Google's large model Gemini

Notably, users can still block Gemini from interacting with specific apps, but the information in the email does not provide clear instructions, leaving users confused. Many users have expressed their dissatisfaction and confusion on social media, seeking ways to completely disable Gemini's assistance. However, Google's official response has not alleviated people's concerns but instead caused more confusion.

In a support page, Google stated, "We do not save activity records older than 72 hours," but did not provide an easy way for users to view these records. Users need to access the information through their mobile phones, but there is no clear entry point on the mobile side, making it impossible for them to confirm whether they have successfully disabled Gemini's permissions.

Additionally, some experts have expressed concerns, believing that Google's move may be similar to Microsoft's approach of forcibly integrating Internet Explorer into the Windows system, deeply binding Gemini to Android devices. In response, researchers at Tuta company suggested that users can completely uninstall Gemini via the command line, but this operation is difficult for ordinary users and obviously not user-friendly.

Google's new strategy has not only raised users' privacy concerns but also sparked widespread discussions about the company's practices. In today's rapidly developing technology landscape, the issue of user privacy protection has become increasingly important, and how companies balance convenience and security when introducing new technologies will be a major challenge in the future.