A proposed class action against LinkedIn, accusing it of sharing Premium users’ private messages to train AI, has been dismissed.
Plaintiff Alessandro De La Torre filed a notice of dismissal without prejudice in a San Jose federal court, just nine days after suing LinkedIn. The lawsuit alleged that LinkedIn violated its promise to use personal data only for service improvements by sharing messages with third parties involved in AI development.
Concerns arose after LinkedIn updated its privacy policy in September, revealing that past data could have been used for AI training despite a new opt-out setting. De La Torre’s attorney, Eli Wade-Scott of Edelson PC, noted that LinkedIn’s delayed disclosure left users confused. However, he acknowledged that LinkedIn provided evidence showing private messages were not used for AI training.
“Users can take comfort, at least, that LinkedIn has shown us evidence that it did not use their private messages to do that,” Wade-Scott said.
On Thursday, LinkedIn’s Vice President and lawyer, Sarah Wight, reiterated in a post that the platform never used private messages for AI training.
The lawsuit’s withdrawal suggests the issue has been resolved, though it underscores the growing concerns over tech companies’ use of personal data in AI development.
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