LinkedIn, the professional networking platform owned by Microsoft, is confronting a class-action lawsuit filed in a California federal court. The suit alleges that LinkedIn unlawfully shared private messages from its Premium subscribers with third parties to train artificial intelligence models without obtaining proper user consent. The legal action seeks $1,000 per user for violations of the Stored Communications Act, along with additional damages for breach of contract and violations of California’s unfair competition law.
According to the complaint, LinkedIn “quietly” introduced a privacy setting in August 2024 that automatically opted Premium users into a program permitting their personal data to be utilized for AI training purposes. The lawsuit contends that this change was implemented without adequately informing users, thereby infringing upon their privacy rights. In September 2024, LinkedIn updated its privacy policy to state that user information could be disclosed for AI training, a move the lawsuit claims was an attempt to conceal prior unauthorized data sharing.
A LinkedIn spokesperson has refuted the allegations, stating, “These are false claims with no merit.” The company maintains that it has always been transparent about its data usage policies and that users have control over their data sharing preferences. LinkedIn asserts that it provides options for users to opt out of data sharing for AI training through their account settings.
The lawsuit highlights concerns that LinkedIn’s actions may have violated contractual promises and privacy standards. It alleges that the platform attempted to minimize public scrutiny by updating its privacy policy and frequently asked questions section to indicate that users could opt out of data sharing for AI purposes, but that such an opt-out would not affect data already used in training. This sequence of events, according to the complaint, suggests a deliberate effort to obscure unauthorized data usage.
In response to regulatory concerns, LinkedIn has suspended the practice of using user data for AI training in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the European Economic Area. However, in other regions, including the United States, the company continues this practice. Users are advised to review their privacy settings to manage data sharing preferences.
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