Michelle ThompsonA lawsuit filed in the US accuses LinkedIn of sharing private messages from Premium users with third parties to train AI models. The lawsuit claims that in August 2023, LinkedIn introduced a privacy setting that automatically opted users into a program allowing their data to be used for AI training.
It also alleges that LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, altered its privacy policy the following month to disclose that user data might be shared for AI purposes. Furthermore, the lawsuit asserts LinkedIn updated its FAQ to state users could opt out of sharing data for AI but noted this would not impact training already completed.
A LinkedIn spokesperson denied the claims, calling them “false and without merit.” The lawsuit accuses the platform of attempting to obscure its actions, suggesting LinkedIn knowingly violated privacy promises to avoid scrutiny.
The case, filed in a California federal court, represents a LinkedIn Premium user and others similarly affected. It seeks $1,000 per user for violations of the US Stored Communications Act and additional damages for breach of contract and unfair competition under California law.
LinkedIn informed users via email that data-sharing for AI training was not enabled in the UK, European Economic Area, or Switzerland. The platform, which has over one billion users globally, earned $1.7 billion from premium subscriptions in 2023, with a growing subscriber base driven by new AI features.
