LinkedIn is using its users' data for improving the professional social network's generative Al products without updating its terms of service, a report has claimed, adding that the company has said it will bring changes to its policies shortly.
A report by 404 Media says that LinkedIn, which has rolled out various AI features to paying users, confirmed using the data. It added that multiple LinkedIn users noticed a setting which suggested that the Microsoft-owned platform is using user data to improve its generative AI .
Reports also suggest that the social network quietly started training generative AI (GenAI) models with users' personal data - and this setting is switched on by default. This means that data of all or some LinkedIn's millions of users is being used by LinkedIn, Microsoft and its "affiliates" to teach its GenAI models how to perform a task.
What data is being used by LinkedIn to train AI models
LinkedIn says it may use users’ personal information to help them with its new AI features. For example, if you use the AI to help you write something, it'll look at what you type and the suggestions it gives you. LinkedIn also keeps track of how users use these AI features – including things like the language they choose and any feedback that they give.
According to LinkedIn’s “LinkedIn and generative AI (GAI) FAQs”, the company “seeks to minimise personal data in the data sets used to train the models, including by using privacy enhancing technologies to redact or remove personal data from the training dataset.”
LinkedIn also notes that the information provided by users and any content that’s generated in response will be stored by LinkedIn until the users delete it.
How to opt-outLinkedIn also provides an option to users to opt-out of having their personal data being used for training. For that, users can:
A report by 404 Media says that LinkedIn, which has rolled out various AI features to paying users, confirmed using the data. It added that multiple LinkedIn users noticed a setting which suggested that the Microsoft-owned platform is using user data to improve its generative AI .
Reports also suggest that the social network quietly started training generative AI (GenAI) models with users' personal data - and this setting is switched on by default. This means that data of all or some LinkedIn's millions of users is being used by LinkedIn, Microsoft and its "affiliates" to teach its GenAI models how to perform a task.
What data is being used by LinkedIn to train AI models
LinkedIn says it may use users’ personal information to help them with its new AI features. For example, if you use the AI to help you write something, it'll look at what you type and the suggestions it gives you. LinkedIn also keeps track of how users use these AI features – including things like the language they choose and any feedback that they give.
According to LinkedIn’s “LinkedIn and generative AI (GAI) FAQs”, the company “seeks to minimise personal data in the data sets used to train the models, including by using privacy enhancing technologies to redact or remove personal data from the training dataset.”
LinkedIn also notes that the information provided by users and any content that’s generated in response will be stored by LinkedIn until the users delete it.
How to opt-outLinkedIn also provides an option to users to opt-out of having their personal data being used for training. For that, users can:
- Go to the Data privacy tab in account settings.
- Click on “Data for Generative AI Improvement” to find the toggle.
- Turn it to “off” to opt-out.
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