A lawsuit filed against LinkedIn alleges that the popular social networking platform has been using the private messages of its Premium members to train artificial intelligence models, sparking significant privacy concerns. The complaint contends that LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, introduced a privacy setting in August 2022 that automatically enrolled users in a program allowing third parties to access their data without their explicit consent.
LinkedIn Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Misuse of Private Messages for AI Training
LinkedIn Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Misuse of Private Messages for AI Training
Accusations of privacy violations surface as LinkedIn is accused of secretly sharing user messages for AI purposes.
The plaintiff claims this move was part of a strategy to obscure the company's practices regarding user data. In response to the lawsuit, which was lodged in a California federal court, LinkedIn representatives have firmly denied the allegations, asserting that the claims lack any factual basis.
The lawsuit claims that soon after the introduction of the privacy setting, LinkedIn altered its privacy policy to disclose that user information could be shared for AI training, further complicating the issue. The suit highlights how LinkedIn modified its 'frequently asked questions' section to suggest that users had control over their data sharing preferences, but indicated that such choices would not affect prior training processes.
Lawyers behind the lawsuit argue that LinkedIn's actions demonstrate a systematic effort to minimize accountability while breaching user trust and privacy agreements. The legal action seeks $1,000 in damages for each user affected under the US federal Stored Communications Act, alongside additional claims related to breach of contract and California's unfair competition laws.
Despite the controversy, LinkedIn has maintained that it does not share user data for AI training purposes within the UK, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland. With over a billion users globally and nearly 25% based in the US, LinkedIn reported a revenue of $1.7 billion from premium subscriptions in 2023, driven by the expanding incorporation of AI features in its services.
Additional coverage contributed by Lily Jamali.
The lawsuit claims that soon after the introduction of the privacy setting, LinkedIn altered its privacy policy to disclose that user information could be shared for AI training, further complicating the issue. The suit highlights how LinkedIn modified its 'frequently asked questions' section to suggest that users had control over their data sharing preferences, but indicated that such choices would not affect prior training processes.
Lawyers behind the lawsuit argue that LinkedIn's actions demonstrate a systematic effort to minimize accountability while breaching user trust and privacy agreements. The legal action seeks $1,000 in damages for each user affected under the US federal Stored Communications Act, alongside additional claims related to breach of contract and California's unfair competition laws.
Despite the controversy, LinkedIn has maintained that it does not share user data for AI training purposes within the UK, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland. With over a billion users globally and nearly 25% based in the US, LinkedIn reported a revenue of $1.7 billion from premium subscriptions in 2023, driven by the expanding incorporation of AI features in its services.
Additional coverage contributed by Lily Jamali.
