LinkedIn, the go-to social platform for professionals, has come under fire for allegedly compromising user privacy by using personal data for AI training and sharing it with third-party organizations without consent. A group of users has filed a lawsuit against LinkedIn in a federal court in California, citing privacy breaches and legal violations.
The lawsuit accuses LinkedIn of sending personal data, including premium users’ email communications, to third parties without proper authorization. In response, LinkedIn updated its privacy policy on September 18, sparking widespread concern among users over the safety and confidentiality of their data. The plaintiffs allege breaches of contract, violations of California’s Unfair Competition Law, and infringement of the U.S. Federal Stored Communications Act. They are demanding $1,000 in compensation for each user whose data was compromised.
LinkedIn has denied the allegations, labeling them as false and baseless. However, the controversy has revived scrutiny over the company’s September 2024 admission that it used users’ personal information and posts to train its AI models. LinkedIn clarified that this was done under default settings and that users could opt-out by adjusting their privacy preferences.
Despite LinkedIn’s assurances, the incident has raised serious questions about transparency and data security. As professionals rely on LinkedIn to connect and grow their careers, the platform’s approach to handling sensitive information has become a significant concern, calling for stronger measures to safeguard user privacy.
