The LinkedIn platform, owned by Microsoft, is considered the most famous professional social platform, as it includes more than one billion members in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. It is the destination for anyone who wants to introduce themselves professionally and highlight their expertise in the field. His specialty.
Users rely on the LinkedIn platform as an exceptional tool for building a network of professional relationships, searching for jobs in their field of specialization, interacting with their work colleagues, and benefiting from specialized groups that publish tools that help platform users develop their practical experiences.
But this benefit does not appear to be from one party, as the platform also wants to benefit from users, as the major professional network “LinkedIn” last September added a new data privacy setting called “Generative Artificial Intelligence Enhancement Data” that allows users’ data to be used virtually to train intelligence models. Artificial.
Has Generative AI Training ever updated its Terms of Service?
According to a report published by TechCrunch, LinkedIn users in the United States, unlike the European Union, the European Economic Area, or Switzerland, have the option to opt out on their settings screen, as it is disclosed that LinkedIn collects Personal data to train AI models to create content, likely due to data privacy rules in those regions.
Of course, this option is not new, but a report issued by the “Media 404” website stated that some LinkedIn users were surprised by the emergence of a new setting revealing that the platform is using their data to train generative artificial intelligence models without prior approval. The report stated that “LinkedIn “It did not update its privacy policy to reflect data usage prior to the start of the training process.
The terms of service have now been updated, but this usually happens long before a major change such as using user data for a new purpose, such as training generative AI models, which gives users the option to make changes to their accounts, or leave the platform if they do not like the changes, which is Unless it happens this time.
What models does LinkedIn train?
LinkedIn trains models that include writing suggestions and post recommendations, and has also indicated that the generative AI models on its platform may be trained by another provider such as its parent company, Microsoft.
She said: “As is the case with most features on LinkedIn, when you interact with our platform, data about your use of the platform is collected, used or processed, including personal data.”
She added: “This data may include your use of generative artificial intelligence, which is used to create content, or other artificial intelligence models, your posts and articles, how frequently you use LinkedIn, your language preferences, and any feedback you may have provided to our teams. We use this data in line with our policy Our privacy policy to improve and develop LinkedIn services.
Greg Snapper, Executive Director of Corporate Communications at LinkedIn, confirmed that the platform uses people’s data to train artificial intelligence in order to help people around the world create economic opportunities by developing tools that help them find new jobs and learn new skills, and he said: “If “If we succeed, we can help a lot of people on a large scale.”
On September 18, LinkedIn published a blog on its official website, in which it explained that in the user agreement, the updates will include new provisions related to the features of generative artificial intelligence that it provides, and that these updates will go into effect in November of this year. General.
In the same blog, Blake Lawitt, vice president and general counsel at the platform, said: “In our privacy policy, we have added language to explain how we use the information you share with us to develop products and services for LinkedIn and its affiliates, including by training the artificial intelligence models used to generate… content (generative artificial intelligence) and through security and safety measures.”
Widespread criticism
The platform faced several criticisms following the new updates, as many considered that the company was not transparent and clear about how it collects and uses data, as the non-profit organization “Open Rights Group” called on the Information Commissioner’s Office – the independent regulator in the United Kingdom concerned with data protection rights – to investigate. In LinkedIn and other social networks that rely on user data by default.
“LinkedIn is the latest social media network to be discovered processing our data without asking for consent,” the organization’s legal and policy officer, Mariano Delli Santi, said in a statement.
He added: “The opt-out model proves once again that it is completely insufficient to protect our rights. The public cannot be expected to monitor and track every online company that decides to use our data to experiment with artificial intelligence. Informed consent is not only a legal requirement, it is also a commonsense requirement.”
The Washington Post reported – in a report – that “LinkedIn” has, by default, given itself permission to use the information shared by the platform’s users to train its artificial intelligence models, and unless the user turns off this new setting, the platform considers all user data available, such as posts. , articles, and even their videos, which surprised many.
In the same report, the Washington Post said: “It is clear that LinkedIn very much wants its smart features to get you a job where the quality of your work is fairly valued, but it is difficult to think about it from another perspective as well. Do you value LinkedIn? ) Work for which you have contributed to improving their artificial intelligence in a fair manner? Work for which you have not received direct compensation, or may not have been told they were using it.
This exchange may seem fair to some, while others feel uneasy about how LinkedIn is handling the situation, as Electronic Frontier Foundation lawyer Mario Trujillo said that difficult tools for unavailable selection are rarely an effective way to allow users to exercise their privacy rights. If companies really want to give users a choice, they must provide a clear choice of “yes” or “no.”
LinkedIn is not alone in turning users’ public data into training materials for artificial intelligence, as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini use users’ conversations to improve the performance of chatbots over time, and requires the user to Choose to opt out instead of opt in.
During a recent hearing in the Australian Parliament, Meta’s privacy policy director, Melinda Clebaugh, confirmed that the company had been collecting public images and texts from Facebook and Instagram to train its artificial intelligence models for more years than expected.
Although it confirmed that it was informing users about its artificial intelligence data policy through emails, text messages, and banners on its website, LinkedIn still surprised many users, and through its new updates it gives users less time to respond than it did. Even its parent company Microsoft introduced it, according to the Washington Post.
Last August, Microsoft announced that it would begin training its AI assistant tool based on the interactions people had with it, as well as data collected from use of the Bing search engine and the news source Microsoft Start.
But unlike LinkedIn, it said it would inform users of the option to opt out of data collection in October, and that it would only begin training its artificial intelligence models 15 days after the option became available.
The Washington Post said, “Why didn’t LinkedIn do a similar launch with more informed information?” She also indicated that Snapper did not want to disclose whether this had been considered, and merely said that they – meaning the company – were focusing on the possibility of improving this next time.
LinkedIn’s history of sanctions
This is not the first time that LinkedIn has raised doubts and questions about how it deals with user data management, and complaints have been filed against the company for violating the General Data Protection Law.
In 2018, the French digital rights organization La Quadrant du Net filed a complaint against LinkedIn for violating the data protection law. The French Data Protection Authority had referred the case to Ireland, where the platform’s European headquarters is located.
This issue has not ended, despite the passage of 6 years. On October 24, the Data Protection Commission in Ireland imposed a fine amounting to 310 million euros on LinkedIn, due to users not being informed of how their data was used for behavioral analysis and targeted advertising. This constitutes a violation of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation.
According to the Data Protection Commission, LinkedIn failed to meet the required standards when obtaining valid consents from users, and the regulator found that the interests of the social media giant were overridden by the interests, rights and freedoms of the individuals concerned with the data.
In addition to the fine, which is one of the largest in the history of the General Data Protection Regulation, LinkedIn received an official reprimand, as it must ensure full compliance with the laws of the regulation, according to what the European “Euro News” website reported.
For its part, LinkedIn told the same site that the company was committed to the General Data Protection Regulation, and that it was working to ensure that its advertising practices were consistent with the decision of the Irish Data Protection Commission before the deadline it set.
How do you withdraw from AI training on LinkedIn?
If you don’t want LinkedIn to use your private data to train its generative AI to create content using your posts, here’s how to turn it off:
- Log in to your LinkedIn account.
- Click your profile picture in the top menu bar, then choose Settings and Privacy in the drop-down menu.
- Choose Data privacy from the menu on the left side.
- Select the “Data for Generative AI Improvement” option at the bottom of the “How LinkedIn uses your data” section.
- Turn off the “Use my data for training content creation AI models” option.
It is necessary for users to find a fair balance that respects benefiting from technological developments on the one hand, and protecting their personal data on the other hand, especially with the accelerating pace of progress in artificial intelligence technology.
They also have the right to remain aware of their rights and freedom of choice, and just as digital platforms seek to improve their services, they must strive to make transparency and respect for user privacy a top priority.