Observed Signal · Jan 23, 2025 · Legal Action · Source: Trending Topics · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Negative
LinkedIn sued over sharing private messages for AI training
LinkedIn is facing a class action lawsuit in the United States over allegations that it shared private messages from premium users with third parties to train AI models without explicit permission. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of LinkedIn Premium users in California, claims LinkedIn 'quietly' introduced a privacy setting in August 2024 that automatically opted users into data sharing for AI training. The plaintiffs also point to a later FAQ stating that opting out would not affect already-used data, which they describe as an attempt to cover tracks. The suit seeks $1,000 in damages per affected user under the US Stored Communications Act, plus unspecified breach-of-contract damages. LinkedIn denies the allegations, calling them false claims without basis. Data sharing for AI purposes was reportedly not activated in the UK, European Economic Area, or Switzerland. LinkedIn generated $1.7 billion in premium subscription revenue in 2024.
Major social platform (LinkedIn/Microsoft) faces a U.S. class action for using private user messages to train AI without consent, raising significant privacy and consent concerns with implications for user trust, regulation, and data-driven advertising.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- LinkedIn is accused of sharing private messages of Premium users with third parties to train AI models without explicit consent.
- The class action lawsuit was filed in California on behalf of LinkedIn Premium users.
- LinkedIn allegedly introduced an opt-out privacy setting for AI training data sharing in August 2024.
- The lawsuit seeks $1,000 in damages per affected user under the US Stored Communications Act.
- LinkedIn denies the allegations, calling them 'false claims without basis'.
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