Microsoft's LinkedIn Sued For Disclosing Customer Information To Train AI Models

LinkedIn has been sued by Premium customers alleging the platform disclosed private messages to third parties without consent to train generative AI models. The lawsuit seeks damages for breach of contract and privacy violations, accusing LinkedIn of attempting to minimize scrutiny over its actions. Reuters reports: According to a proposed class action filed on Tuesday night on behalf of millions of LinkedIn Premium customers, LinkedIn quietly introduced a privacy setting last August that let users enable or disable the sharing of their personal data. Customers said LinkedIn then discreetly updated its privacy policy on Sept. 18 to say data could be used to train AI models, and in a "frequently asked questions" hyperlink said opting out "does not affect training that has already taken place."

This attempt to "cover its tracks" suggests LinkedIn was fully aware it violated customers' privacy and its promise to use personal data only to support and improve its platform, in order to minimize public scrutiny and legal fallout, the complaint said. The lawsuit was filed in the San Jose, California, federal court on behalf of LinkedIn Premium customers who sent or received InMail messages, and whose private information was disclosed to third parties for AI training before Sept. 18. It seeks unspecified damages for breach of contract and violations of California's unfair competition law, and $1,000 per person for violations of the federal Stored Communications Act. LinkedIn said in a statement: "These are false claims with no merit."

LinkedInn

[snowshovelboy]

What do editors even do?

Re:

[ClueHammer]

Use spell checkers with their brain in neutral, at least the ones here do.

Re:

[SeaFox]

Thank goodness I'm not involved in the hospitality industry.

Re: LinkedInn

[commodore73]

Inndustry?

Re:

[rossdee]

You can't expect a spelling checker to know all the company names.

Re:LinkedInn

[VampireByte]

There's no room at the linked inn

Re: LinkedInn

[Ossifer]

I stayed at a Linked Inn once, not as good as the Motel 6.

Humbled and Proud

[Ada_Rules]

Ah, that explains why my chatbot keeps telling me it is humbled and proud to announce all of its answers and tell me things I don't care about.

They should be sued....

[OppMan29]

They do this to the regular accounts as well. Everything additional they create they always default it to "yes", they know that people would see this and click "no" right away. Data for Generative AI Improvement Can LinkedIn and its affiliates use your personal data and content you create on LinkedIn to train generative AI models that create content who in their right mind is like yes please!!

All data belong to the tech companies.

[nightflameauto]

This is their mentality. You used their software/website/OS to create this data, therefore, that data belongs to them, and they will do whatever they want to do with it. Including use it in their training sets for their AIs.

At some point it would be neat to see some form of crackdown on data-rape for the big players, but considering the current administration in the US is more concerned with making sure the broligarchy gets everything it wants, I don't see that happening anytime soon here. Maybe somewhere across the pond would have better luck?