LinkedIn Accused Of Misusing Private Messages To Train AI Models

Uploaded on 2025-01-24 in TECHNOLOGY-Key Areas-Social Media, TECHNOLOGY-Key Areas-Artificial Intelligence, FREE TO VIEW

LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft,  is facing a lawsuit in the US which accuses the platform of sharing users’ messages to train Artificial Intelligence (AI) models. Now, LinkedIn Premium users have filed the lawsuit accusing the social media platform of illegally misusing their private messages by sharing them with other companies to train their AI models.

The lawsuit also accuses LinkedIn, the Microsoft-owned firm, of hiding its actions by changing its privacy policy to say user information could be disclosed for AI training purposes. 

The lawsuit says that LinkedIn changed its 'frequently asked questions' section to say that users could choose not to share data for AI purposes, but that doing so would not affect training that had already taken place."LinkedIn's actions... indicate a pattern of attempting to cover its tracks," the lawsuit said. "This behaviour suggests that LinkedIn was fully aware that it had violated its contractual promises and privacy standards and aimed to minimise public scrutiny".

"Given its role as a professional social media network, these communications include incredibly sensitive and potentially life-altering information about employment, intellectual property, compensation, and other personal matters," the filing reads.

The lawsuit was filed in a California federal court on behalf of a LinkedIn Premium user and "all others" in a similar situation. It seeks $1,000 (£812) per user for alleged violations of the US federal Stored Communications Act as well as an unspecified amount for breach of contract and California's unfair competition law.

According to an email LinkedIn sent to its users in 2024, it has not enabled user data sharing for AI purposes in the UK, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. 

The complaint raises broader concerns about user data exposure across Microsoft products like Microsoft 365, Teams, and Word. It warns that such integration increases risks of privacy breaches, unintended profiling, and potential misuse in contexts like employment and business negotiations. The plaintiffs allege LinkedIn “attempted to cover its tracks” by retroactively amending its privacy policies, contradicting its public commitments to ethical AI use and transparency.

LinkedIn users' complaints are bear comparison to Elon Musk's AI model Grok, which used posts on X as a training tool without properly obtaining users for permission, breaking GDPR rules.

LinkedIn has more than one billion users around the world, with almost 25% of them in the US. In 2023, the company attracted $1.7bn in revenue from premium subscriptions. It has described the allegations as "false claims with no merit"

BBC  |   ITPro   |   The National   |   TechMonitor   |   Independent   |    ELC 

Image:  Tobias Dziuba

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