Lawsuit Alleges LinkedIn Shared DMs for Third-Party AI Training: A Deep Dive into Data Privacy and AI Ethics

Lawsuit Alleges LinkedIn Shared DMs for Third-Party AI Training: A Deep Dive into Data Privacy and AI Ethics

The sourcing of training data for artificial intelligence (AI) models has been a contentious issue since the inception of large-scale AI development. The debate centers on the balance between innovation and individual privacy rights. Corporations often justify using publicly available internet information for AI training under the "fair use" doctrine, arguing that the resulting AI models are transformative works, fundamentally altering the absorbed data to create something new. However, the legal validity of this argument remains under scrutiny, particularly as AI capabilities become more sophisticated and pervasive. A recent lawsuit has placed Microsoft-owned LinkedIn at the epicenter of a distinct AI training data controversy. Allegations have surfaced, as reported by the BBC and highlighted by TechRadar, that LinkedIn shared private user data, including personal direct messages (DMs), with third parties for AI training purposes. The core of the complaint lies in the allege…