LinkedIn uses users' data to train AI models

Business and employment-focused social media platform LinkedIn is reportedly using account holders' data to train its Artificial intelligence (AI) models.

As per the updated policy of LinkedIn, launched last week, the company issuing people's interactions with its generative AI features for training purposes. The company said that whenever it relies on user data for training purposes, it seeks to minimize personal information. The company relies on privacy-enhancing technologies to redact or remove personal data.

Notably, users can opt out of having their data shared for training AI models. Users can access information about what data LinkedIn has used for training through its data access tool. However, the company holds people's data for training purposes till they delete it.

Like Meta, LinkedIn also uses a 'silent approach' wherein users have no idea that their data would be used for training AI models, Medianama reported.

An advocacy group None of Your Business (NYOB) flagged this concern in June. It filed a complaint against Meta in multiple countries in the EU for using people’s data since 2007 to train AI models. This data includes things like posts or photos and their captions.

If a user doesn’t actively watch out for updates in the companies’ privacy policies, they wouldn’t know that the companies are using their data to train AI models.

At present, LinkedIn is not using users' data for training purposes in the EU, the UK, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland.