LinkedIn faces lawsuit for allegedly training AI with private messages

• Published On: 23 January 2025 at 19:27

Microsoft's LinkedIn is facing legal action from Premium customers who claim the platform disclosed their private messages to third parties without their permission in order to train generative AI models.

According to a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in San Jose, California, federal court on Tuesday, LinkedIn added a privacy setting in August 2024 that allows users to enable or disable the sharing of personal data.

However, the plaintiffs claim LinkedIn quietly updated its privacy policy on September 18, 2024, to allow data usage for AI training, and included a "Frequently Asked Questions" section stating that opting out would not apply to previously used data.

The lawsuit claims that this move shows LinkedIn was "fully aware" that it violated customers' privacy, contradicting its stated commitment to use personal data solely for platform improvement. The plaintiffs allege that the platform attempted to "cover its tracks" in order to avoid public backlash and legal consequences.

The complaint represents LinkedIn Premium users whose InMail messages were allegedly shared with third parties.

The lawsuit follows a significant AI investment announcement. U.S. President Donald Trump announced a partnership with Microsoft-based OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank to develop AI infrastructure in the United States, with a potential $500 billion investment.

De La Torre v. LinkedIn Corp. has been filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California under case number 25-00709.