A federal lawsuit filed in California accuses LinkedIn of secretly sharing private messages from Premium users with third parties to train artificial intelligence (AI) models, sparking concerns over privacy violations and data transparency.
The lawsuit claims that LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking platform, introduced a privacy setting in August 2022 that automatically opted users into a program allowing their data to be used for AI training. The Microsoft-owned company allegedly updated its privacy policy the following month, stating that user information could be disclosed for AI purposes—actions the lawsuit claims were intended to obscure prior misconduct.
“LinkedIn’s actions… indicate a pattern of attempting to cover its tracks,” the lawsuit alleges. “This behaviour suggests that LinkedIn was fully aware it had violated its contractual promises and privacy standards and aimed to minimise public scrutiny.”
The legal filing, made on behalf of a LinkedIn Premium user and others in similar circumstances, seeks $1,000 per user for alleged violations of the US federal Stored Communications Act, as well as damages for breach of contract and California’s unfair competition law.
In response, a LinkedIn spokesperson dismissed the allegations, stating, “These are false claims with no merit.”
The lawsuit also asserts that LinkedIn later amended its FAQ section to inform users they could opt out of sharing data for AI purposes. However, it alleges that the platform clarified such an opt-out would not undo the AI training already conducted with their data.
An email sent by LinkedIn to users in 2022 reportedly noted that the platform had not enabled data sharing for AI purposes in the UK, the European Economic Area, or Switzerland.
With over one billion users globally—nearly a quarter based in the US—LinkedIn generated $1.7 billion in revenue from Premium subscriptions in 2023, buoyed by rapid growth in its subscriber base as it integrated more AI-driven features.
The lawsuit underscores mounting concerns over transparency and consent in data usage, as tech companies increasingly leverage personal data to advance AI development.
