In response to the reports, Google stated that they are constantly experimenting with ad formats and aiming to help users discover and connect with new businesses. They explained that the Promotions tab displays promotional emails from subscribed businesses, as well as offers and deals from companies that might interest users. Google rolled out instream ads in the Promotions tab on mobile last year and expanded them to desktop in recent months.
Google also emphasized that they do not sell email data or utilize users’ content from apps like Gmail, Drive, and Photos for advertising purposes.
