A lawsuit filed in the US claims that LinkedIn shared private messages from its Premium users with other companies to train artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The lawsuit says LinkedIn quietly added a privacy setting in August last year that automatically allowed third parties to use users’ data for AI training. It accuses the platform of hiding this by later updating its privacy policy to allow data sharing for AI purposes.
LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, denies the claims, calling them “false and without merit.”
The lawsuit also points out that LinkedIn updated its FAQ section to let users opt out of data sharing. However, it said this choice would not reverse AI training already done with their data.
The legal filing alleges LinkedIn tried to cover its actions and knew it was violating users’ privacy and trust. It was filed on behalf of a LinkedIn Premium user and seeks $1,000 per user for breaking US privacy laws, along with additional damages for breach of contract and unfair competition.
LinkedIn has over one billion users worldwide, including a quarter in the US. In 2023, the platform earned $1.7 billion from Premium subscriptions and continues to grow as it adds new AI features.
An email sent by LinkedIn last year stated that user data sharing for AI training was not enabled in the UK, the European Economic Area, or Switzerland.
Source: BBC
