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How to Stop LinkedIn From Using Your Data to Train AI

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LinkedIn, like many social media platforms, has started using personal data to train its AI tools. This move, announced recently by LinkedIn’s senior vice president and general counsel, Blake Lawit, has raised concerns among users. If you’re worried about LinkedIn collecting and using your posts and personal information for its AI training, here’s what you need to know and how to opt out.

What LinkedIn is Doing with Your Data

LinkedIn is using the content you share on the platform to help train its AI models. These models are designed to improve features like generative AI, which helps users draft posts, write messages, and more. While these tools can make your LinkedIn experience more streamlined, the downside is that they rely on your data.

The company updated its privacy policy to reflect this, and posts are being automatically collected for AI training. Importantly, these changes were implemented before the recent update made them public, meaning LinkedIn has already been using your data for this purpose.

How AI Uses Your Data

LinkedIn’s AI uses personal data to offer content suggestions, like helping users draft posts. Your data is also used to train AI models so that LinkedIn’s tools become more efficient at understanding user preferences and generating better content. If you do not want to participate, you will need to opt out, as LinkedIn automatically opts you in.

However, some regions are excluded from this data collection due to stricter privacy laws. For example, users in the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland are protected under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which prevents platforms from using personal information for such purposes without explicit consent.

Steps to Opt Out of LinkedIn’s AI Data Collection

If you’re uncomfortable with LinkedIn using your personal information for AI training, there are steps you can take to opt out:

  1. Log in to LinkedIn: You must be logged into your LinkedIn account to access your privacy settings.

  2. Navigate to Privacy Settings: Go to the settings menu and look for the “Data for Generative AI Improvement” option.

  3. Turn Off AI Data Collection: You’ll find a toggle labeled “Use my data for training content creation AI models.” This is automatically set to “On.” You can switch it to “Off” to stop LinkedIn from using your data to train AI models for content creation.

Keep in mind, however, that this option only stops LinkedIn from using your information to train AI for content creation. It doesn’t prevent the platform from using your data for other AI-related activities.

Fully Opting Out of All AI-Related Data Use

If you want to completely stop LinkedIn from using your data for any AI purposes, you’ll need to go a step further. LinkedIn offers a Data Processing Objection Form that you can fill out. This form allows you to formally object to the use of your data for AI activities. By submitting this form, you can ensure that LinkedIn will not use your data for any AI-related processes.

Final Thoughts

While AI tools can help make your LinkedIn experience more efficient, you may prefer to maintain control over how your data is used. By following these steps, you can stop LinkedIn from using your data for AI training and maintain more privacy over your personal information on the platform.

For further reading, check out LinkedIn’s privacy policy and updates on data use. You might also want to explore general privacy laws, such as the Digital Markets Act, to better understand your rights when it comes to personal data on social media platforms.