A California federal court has been presented with a lawsuit alleging LinkedIn used Premium users’ private messages to train AI models without consent. Plaintiffs argue the platform implemented a privacy setting in August 2022 that opted users into sharing personal data with third parties. The suit suggests LinkedIn later attempted to obscure this practice by revising its privacy policy, prompting accusations of deception. In defense, LinkedIn has labeled the claims as “false” and lacking merit. The suit seeks $1,000 per affected user, citing violations of privacy laws amidst increasing scrutiny over data usage practices in major tech firms.
LinkedIn Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Use of Private Messages in AI Training
LinkedIn Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Use of Private Messages in AI Training
A recent lawsuit claims LinkedIn exploited user privacy to enhance AI without consent.
LinkedIn accused of using private messages to train AI
A federal lawsuit raises concerns about privacy violations by LinkedIn, alleging misuse of user data for AI training.
A case has been filed in federal court in California against LinkedIn, claiming that the social media giant has unlawfully used private messages from Premium users to train artificial intelligence models. This lawsuit contends that in August 2022, LinkedIn enabled a privacy setting that unintentionally opted users into sharing their communications with third parties for the purpose of AI development. As part of the accusations, the plaintiffs assert that LinkedIn modified its privacy policy shortly thereafter to obscure the data-sharing practice, aiming to downplay any public backlash. LinkedIn’s representatives responded by asserting that these allegations are baseless and false. Furthermore, the filing claims that, despite the option to opt-out, any prior training utilizing private messages remained unaffected, suggesting the company’s awareness of improper conduct. Seeking compensation of $1,000 per user for violations of the Stored Communications Act, the lawsuit reflects mounting concerns about privacy in the tech industry, especially with LinkedIn's broad reach of over one billion users globally, including a significant number in the U.S. In the previous year, LinkedIn generated $1.7 billion from premium subscriptions, indicating a continuous growth trajectory intertwined with AI integrations.
A federal lawsuit raises concerns about privacy violations by LinkedIn, alleging misuse of user data for AI training.
A case has been filed in federal court in California against LinkedIn, claiming that the social media giant has unlawfully used private messages from Premium users to train artificial intelligence models. This lawsuit contends that in August 2022, LinkedIn enabled a privacy setting that unintentionally opted users into sharing their communications with third parties for the purpose of AI development. As part of the accusations, the plaintiffs assert that LinkedIn modified its privacy policy shortly thereafter to obscure the data-sharing practice, aiming to downplay any public backlash. LinkedIn’s representatives responded by asserting that these allegations are baseless and false. Furthermore, the filing claims that, despite the option to opt-out, any prior training utilizing private messages remained unaffected, suggesting the company’s awareness of improper conduct. Seeking compensation of $1,000 per user for violations of the Stored Communications Act, the lawsuit reflects mounting concerns about privacy in the tech industry, especially with LinkedIn's broad reach of over one billion users globally, including a significant number in the U.S. In the previous year, LinkedIn generated $1.7 billion from premium subscriptions, indicating a continuous growth trajectory intertwined with AI integrations.
