LinkedIn accused of using private messages to train AI

A U.S. lawsuit representing LinkedIn premium users accuses the social media platform of sharing their private messages with other companies to train artificial intelligence (AI) models. The lawsuit claims that last August, the world's largest professional social networking site "quietly" introduced a privacy setting that automatically enrolled users in a program allowing third parties to use their personal data to train AI.

The lawsuit also accuses the Microsoft-owned company of covering up its actions a month later by modifying its privacy policy, which now states that user information may be disclosed for AI training purposes. A LinkedIn spokesperson told BBC News, "These are baseless and false allegations."

The lawsuit was filed in a California federal court on behalf of a LinkedIn premium user and all "others" in similar situations. The lawsuit documents also state that LinkedIn modified its "Frequently Asked Questions" section, stating that users can opt out of sharing data for AI purposes, but this would not affect training that has already taken place. "LinkedIn's actions...demonstrate its attempt to cover its tracks," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit further states, "This behavior demonstrates that LinkedIn was fully aware that it was violating contractual promises and privacy standards and aimed to minimize public scrutiny." According to an email LinkedIn sent to users last year, the company has not enabled user data sharing for AI purposes in the UK, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland.

_Additional reporting by Lily Jamali_