Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.The sourcing of training data for AI has been a contentious issue, with companies defending their use of publicly available internet content as “fair use.” They argue that AI models transform the original data, creating new and legally distinct outputs. However, the durability of this defense under long-term legal scrutiny is uncertain. Recently, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has faced allegations of a more controversial practice: sharing private user data for AI training purposes. LinkedIn sued for user data misuse to train AI models A California lawsuit accuses LinkedIn of distributing user data, including direct messages, to third parties without clear notification or consent from users. According to reports by the BBC, LinkedIn allegedly introduced a new privacy setting that defaulted users into a program allowing their data to be shared for AI training. Although LinkedIn updated its FAQ to inform users about the option to opt-out, the lawsuit claims that opting out would not prevent previously shared data from being used. The lawsuit argues that these practices violate the Stored Communications Act, which protects the privacy of electronic communications. It further alleges that LinkedIn demonstrated a “pattern of attempting to cover its tracks,” suggesting deceptive behavior in implementing these policies. The plaintiffs are seeking damages of $1,000 per affected user. LinkedIn has denied the claims, with a spokesperson…LinkedIn sued for using user data for third-party AI training