LinkedIn Uses User Data for AI Improvement Without Disclosure.
LinkedIn (professional network) owned by Microsoft is using ‘user data’ to enhance its generative AI products without updating its terms of service according to a recent report by 404 Media on Thursday. The LinkedIn platform confirmed using user data for AI improvement and this move has raised concerns about data privacy and user consent.
LinkedIn’s use of user data for AI training includes various types of information, such as user-generated content, language preferences, feedback on AI features, and interaction with AI tools. For instance, if you use AI to help you write something, it’ll look at what you type and the suggestions it gives you. Additionally, LinkedIn keeps track of how users use these AI features.
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According to LinkedIn’s “LinkedIn and generative AI (GAI) FAQs,” the company seeks to minimise personal data in the data sets used to train the models including by using privacy-enhancing technologies to redact or remove personal data from the training dataset. However, reports suggest that LinkedIn quietly started training generative AI models with users’ data with this setting switched on by default and not manually by the user. As a result, data from millions of LinkedIn users is being used by LinkedIn, Microsoft, and its affiliates to teach its GenAI models how to perform different tasks.
LinkedIn updated its generative AI FAQ a week ago without informing users. As a result, it granted itself AND ITS AFFILIATES permission to use your data and content to train generative AI models. To opt-out, go here and change the setting to Off. https://t.co/BtYEyoHXbi pic.twitter.com/LkU5g9HlxF
— Steve Werby (@stevewerby) September 18, 2024
This has now sparked concerns about data privacy and user consent, LinkedIn provides an option for users to opt out of having their data used for training to address these concerns.
Users can follow these steps to opt out:
- Go to the Data privacy tab in account settings.
- Click on “Data for Generative AI Improvement” to find the toggle.
- Turn it to “off” to opt out.
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