LinkedIn, the professional networking platform owned by Microsoft, is facing a lawsuit from Premium subscribers who claim their private messages were shared with third parties for the purpose of training generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) models without their consent.
The proposed class action, lodged on Tuesday night, represents millions of LinkedIn Premium users. It alleges that last August, LinkedIn implemented a privacy setting that allowed users to control the sharing of their personal information.
Subsequently, the plaintiffs assert that the company covertly altered its privacy policy on September 18, disclosing that user data could be utilized for AI model training. A link to a “frequently asked questions” page indicated that opting out of this sharing would not influence data already used for training purposes.
According to the complaint, this attempt to obscure the implications of the policy change implies that LinkedIn recognized its breach of users’ privacy and its commitment to only use personal data to enhance its platform. The plaintiffs argue that this maneuver was aimed at reducing public scrutiny and potential legal repercussions.
The lawsuit has been filed in federal court in San Jose, California, targeting LinkedIn Premium users who have exchanged InMail messages. It alleges that their private information was improperly shared for AI training prior to the September 18 date.
The legal action seeks unspecified monetary damages for breach of contract and violations of California’s unfair competition laws, as well as $1,000 (approximately Rs. 86,492) for each breach of the federal Stored Communications Act.
In response, LinkedIn stated, “These are false claims with no merit.”
A representative for the plaintiffs did not provide any additional comments following the filing.
This lawsuit comes on the heels of an announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding a collaboration involving Microsoft-supported OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, which could lead to a $500 billion (roughly Rs. 43,25,275 crore) investment aimed at developing AI infrastructure in the country.
The case is formally titled De La Torre v. LinkedIn Corp and is filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, under case number 25-00709.
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