LinkedIn Sued By Premium Users For Using THIS Information To Train AI Models: All You Need To Know

In its defence, LinkedIn has dismissed the lawsuit’s claims, calling them “false claims with no merit.”

According to the complaint, LinkedIn quietly introduced a privacy setting in August 2024.

Source : Unsplash

Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is under legal scrutiny after a group of its Premium users filed a lawsuit, accusing the platform of sharing private user data to train generative AI models without explicit consent. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in the US District Court in San Jose, California, represents millions of LinkedIn Premium users and alleges breaches of privacy, contract, and trust.

What Does The Complaint State?

According to the complaint, LinkedIn quietly introduced a privacy setting in August 2024, allowing users to control whether their personal data could be shared. However, the plaintiffs claim this change was poorly communicated, leaving many users unaware of its existence.

On September 18, 2024, LinkedIn allegedly updated its privacy policy to include a clause stating that user data could be used for AI training. The company also added a FAQ section, which reportedly admitted that opting out would not apply to data already utilised in training.

The plaintiffs accuse LinkedIn of intentionally concealing its actions and argue that the platform violated its promise to use customer data solely for improving the platform's functionality. The lawsuit claims LinkedIn attempted to minimise public backlash and legal exposure by quietly implementing these changes while continuing to share sensitive user information with third parties.

The legal action represents LinkedIn Premium users who sent or received private InMail messages and allege that their data was shared for AI training purposes before the September policy change. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for breach of contract and violations of California's unfair competition law, along with $1,000 per person under the federal Stored Communications Act.

How Did LinkedIn Respond?

In its defence, LinkedIn has dismissed the lawsuit’s claims, calling them “false claims with no merit.”

The case, De La Torre v. LinkedIn Corp, comes at a time when AI-related concerns are increasingly in the spotlight. Interestingly, the lawsuit was filed hours after US President Donald Trump announced a $500 billion joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank to build AI infrastructure in the United States, emphasising the growing focus on AI technology and its implications.

The outcome of the case could set a precedent for how companies handle user data in the rapidly evolving world of AI.