New Delhi, January 24: Microsoft’s LinkedIn has reportedly been sued for allegedly sharing private customer information with third parties to train artificial intelligence (AI) models. The lawsuit claims LinkedIn shared personal details of users without consent and potentially breached privacy laws. The lawsuit was filed in San Jose, California, on behalf of LinkedIn Premium users whose private InMail messages were reportedly shared with third parties.

As per a report of Reuters, LinkedIn is accused of disclosing users’ private information to external parties to train AI models. Reports suggest that a proposed class action was filed on Tuesday night on behalf of LinkedIn Premium customers. It is said that LinkedIn quietly added a privacy setting last August, which allows users to choose whether to enable or disable the sharing of their personal data. Deepak Agarwal Appointed As LinkedIn Chief AI Officer, Brings 24 Years of Experience in Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Roles.

According to report, the lawsuit was filed a few hours after US President Donald Trump announced a partnership involving Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank to develop AI infrastructure in the US. The lawsuit was submitted in the federal court in San Jose, California, on behalf of LinkedIn Premium customers who sent or received InMail messages. It claims that their private information was shared with third parties for AI training purposes before September 18. LinkedIn New Feature Update: Microsoft-Owned Professional Networking Platform Launches New AI Feature for Job Seekers and Recruiters.

Customers have reportedly stated that LinkedIn quietly revised its privacy policy on September 18 to indicate that their data could be used for training AI models. Additionally, in a "frequently asked questions" link, it mentioned that opting out "does not affect training that has already taken place." According to various reports, LinkedIn has more than one billion users globally, with over a quarter of them located in the United States. The professional networking platform, owned by Microsoft, reportedly stated in a response that, "These are false claims with no merit."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2025 11:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).