Microsoft-Owned LinkedIn Using People’s Data to Train Artificial Intelligence Models

Professional networking platform LinkedIn has confirmed that it automatically uses personal user data to train artificial intelligence (AI) models without first informing its members.

The platform said that there is an opt-out setting for members when it comes to using their data for generative AI training.

Personal data such as user posts, usage information, inputs and resulting outputs, language preferences, and any feedback they may provide is among the data processed and used to train AI, LinkedIn said.

When LinkedIn trains generative AI models, it seeks to "minimize personal data in the data sets" used to train them, including by using privacy-enhancing technologies that redact or remove personal data from the training dataset, the company said.

LinkedIn said the updates to its terms of service will go into effect on Nov. 20.

LinkedIn added that it does not currently train content-generating AI models on data from members located in the European Union, European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced earlier this month that it will resume training AI models using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram in the UK over the coming months.

That announcement was made after the company paused training to address "regulatory feedback."

Meta said it will use public information including posts, photos, captions, and comments from accounts of users over the age of 18 to train and improve its generative AI models. It said the content will not include private messages.

Meta said that users in the UK will soon receive in-app notifications regarding AI training, along with information on how they can access a form to object to their data being used to train generative AI models.

Privacy rights groups have criticized social media platforms for processing users' data without their consent and have urged the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's data protection watchdog, to take action.

"The opt-out model proves once again to be wholly inadequate to protect our rights: the public cannot be expected to monitor and chase every single online company that decides to use our data to train AI," he said.

The Epoch Times contacted a LinkedIn spokesperson for further comment but didn't receive a reply by publication time.