This story has been updated to include new information.
LinkedIn user data is being used to train artificial intelligence models, and some social media users have accused the company of opting members in without their consent.
The professional networking platform said on its website that when users log on, it collects data about their posts and articles, how often they use LinkedIn, their language preferences, feedback they have sent to the company and other details.
LinkedIn said the data will be used to “improve and develop LinkedIn services.”
Some have taken issue with the feature, and in particular the decision to auto-register users.
“LinkedIn is currently using everyone’s content to train their AI tools, which means they’ve automatically opted everyone in,” wrote Rachel Tobac, an X user and chair of Women In Security and Privacy. “I encourage you to opt out now (and organizations to end automatic opt-ins, this is not OK).”
In a series of tweets, Tobak argued that social media users “shouldn’t have to go through so many steps to undo a choice a company made for all of us,” and urged members to demand that organizations give them the option to pre-select whether or not to opt in to the program.
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LinkedIn began notifying users about the AI training this week.
LinkedIn updated its user agreement on its website this week, announcing the changes will take effect on Nov. 20. The company said it has clarified the practices covered in its privacy policy and added a new opt-out setting for training AI models.
The post also included a video featuring LinkedIn’s Chief Privacy Officer, Kalinda Raina, in which Raina said the personal data is used to help LinkedIn and its affiliates “improve both our security and our products in the generative AI space and beyond.”
A LinkedIn spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY on Thursday afternoon that the company began notifying users this week about the data being used to train its generative AI.
“The current reality is that many people are looking for help writing a first draft of their resume, outlining their LinkedIn profile, or crafting a message to recruiters for their next career opportunity,” said LinkedIn spokesman Greg Snapper. “At the end of the day, people want to get an edge in their careers, and our gen-AI service is here to help them do just that.”
He stressed that users have choices about how their data is used and that the company has always been upfront about that.
“We’ve always been clear about our terms of use,” he said. “Gen-AI is the latest step in how companies around the world are leveraging AI.” He added that LinkedIn has always had some automation in its products.
How to turn off LinkedIn AI tools
LinkedIn users can turn off this feature by clicking here or by following these steps from a desktop:
Click on your profile avatar in the top right corner of the LinkedIn website. Click on Settings & Privacy. Then click on Data Privacy. Click on Data for Improving Generative AI. Toggle the feature off.
To turn off this feature via the LinkedIn app, follow these steps:
Click your profile avatar in the top-left corner of the LinkedIn app. Click Settings. Click Data Privacy. Click Data to Improve Generative AI. Toggle the feature off.
How LinkedIn uses your data
Examples of data LinkedIn may use to train its AI models include articles posted by users. If a user posts an article about advice they received from a mentor and includes the mentor’s name, that name may be included in LinkedIn’s generative writing suggestions feature. Users can then edit or revise the post before publishing it, the company said on its website.
For users who try out the profile creation suggestions feature, the AI model uses data from their profile to generate text.
How to request your personal data
According to LinkedIn’s website, opting out will prevent LinkedIn and its affiliates from using your personal data or content to train models in the future, but it will not reverse or affect any training that has already taken place.
“We will initially offer this setting to members whose profiles are located outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland,” the company said on its website. “If you are a resident of these regions, we and our affiliates will not use your personal data or content on LinkedIn to train or fine-tune our generative AI models for content creation.”
The company said it uses privacy-enhancing techniques to redact or remove personal data from the datasets it uses to train its AI.
LinkedIn said that for members who use generative AI-powered features to create content, the information they provide and the information generated by the prompts will be stored until the member deletes the data.
To find out what data LinkedIn has stored about you, users can follow these steps:
Click on your profile avatar in the top right corner of the LinkedIn website.[設定とプライバシー]Click . Then,[データのプライバシー]Click[データのコピーを取得]Click
Members can also delete the data that LinkedIn has stored about them and their LinkedIn activity by filling out a deletion form.
Saleen Martin is a reporter for USA Today’s NOW team. She’s from 757 Norfolk, Virginia. Follow her on Twitter.Saleen Martin Or email me at dmartin@usatoday.com.