Recently, Google's Nano Banana AI tool has raised new privacy concerns, focusing on the analysis and storage of photos of its 1.5 billion global users. According to a report by Forbes, Google is accused of potentially using these photos to train its powerful AI system without user consent, through its photo storage service Google Photos. This accusation does not come from regulators or whistleblowers, but from Proton, a privacy-focused tech company that directly competes with Google in the cloud storage industry.

The timing of this controversy is notable, as it comes after widespread attention on Google's new AI image tool, Nano Banana, which has been criticized for generating realistic images, leading many to believe that the line between reality and fiction is rapidly blurring. A post by Proton on the social media platform X quickly went viral, stating, "Google AI performs so well in generating images because they are scanning every Android user's Google Photos album, but Google won't admit it and can't prove it."

In response, Google firmly denied the accusation. In a statement shared with Forbes, Google said: "We do not use your personal data to train any generative AI models, including other Gemini models and products. If you choose to share photos or videos with other Google or third-party services, your data will be handled according to those services' policies." Although Google denies the claim about AI training, it also acknowledges that Google Photos is not an end-to-end encrypted service. Google uses automated systems and professional teams to scan images stored on the platform to detect child pornography, citing safety and compliance as reasons for this practice.

This controversy highlights a broader issue faced by cloud services. AI tools are increasingly integrated into daily platforms, which are usually managed by complex privacy policies that many users never read. When such accusations arise, even without evidence, they can quickly erode user trust. As Zak Doffman of Forbes stated, users should understand that unless they use end-to-end encryption, cloud platforms are not completely private, and photos stored online may be analyzed in some form, even if companies say they won't use them for AI training.

Key Points:

- 📸 Google's Nano Banana AI tool has sparked privacy concerns, with 1.5 billion users' photos possibly being used.

- 🔒 Google denies using user data for AI training, but admits that Google Photos does not offer end-to-end encryption.

- ⚠️ Privacy issues with cloud services are highlighted, and users should be cautious about the security of their stored photos.