For the last year or so, LinkedIn has been busy adding new generative AI elements to its platforms. They have added everything from post creation to job applications.
Now, the company has updated its User Agreement and Privacy Policy to reflect how the company uses your data to train and power its AI functionality.
Well, for those who don’t know about it, LinkedIn uses everything you post publicly in the app to feed its AI tools.
Here is how LinkedIn explains it.
“In our Privacy Policy, we have added language to clarify how we use the information you share with us to develop the products and services of LinkedIn and its affiliates, including by training AI models used for content generation (“generative AI”) and through security and safety measures.”
Now, they have changed the specific section of the privacy policy. Here is what it reads now.
“We may use your personal data to improve, develop, and provide products and Services, develop and train artificial intelligence (AI) models, develop, provide, and personalize our Services, and gain insights with the help of AI, automated systems, and inferences so that our Services can be more relevant and useful to you and others.”
In the user agreement, LinkedIn explains that you’re agreeing to the terms of its privacy policy.
One thing to note here is that LinkedIn doesn’t exclude DMs from this agreement. So, in practice, they can also use your messages as part of the AI training.
However, LinkedIn has also added a new AI training opt out option. This is now available in the app; you can opt out if you choose to. With this option, you can completely block the platform from using your info as a training data set for AI models.
By default, it is on, and most people won’t turn it off. Most of them won’t even be aware of this option. So, it means that LinkedIn will harvest the data of most of us who forget to turn off this option.
