LinkedIn is scraping your data for its AI – here’s how to opt out

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LinkedIn has decided to hop on the AI bandwagon. And not in a cute, “look at me trying to be trendy” kind of way. More like a “we’re quietly siphoning your data to train our AI models without telling you” vibe. Yikes.

LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, has rolled out a bunch of AI-powered features. Think AI writing assistants for your profile, automated messaging for recruiters, and even AI-generated job descriptions because who needs human creativity, right?

But the real kicker? They’ve been taking your data to train these AI tools without explicitly asking for your permission. Like, at all.

LinkedIn’s VP of legal at the company explained that they’re using data from profiles and posts to improve their AI, but this was all happening behind the scenes until they got called out on it.

Now, if you’re in the EU, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Strict data privacy laws like the GDPR mean LinkedIn hasn’t been collecting your data for AI training, and they claim they have no plans to start.

But for everyone else? Yeah, it’s been happening, and it’s raised a ton of questions about transparency, consent, and just how comfortable we are with our data being used to build AI models.

This isn’t just a LinkedIn thing, by the way. It’s a growing trend across tech, with companies hungry for the user data needed to power AI advancements.

AI ethics experts are sounding the alarm about the need for transparency, accountability, and safeguards to prevent misuse of AI, and situations like LinkedIn’s only underscore how critical this is.

How to opt out of LinkedIn’s AI scraping

So, what can you do if you’re not down with LinkedIn using your info to train their AI? Opting out of future data collection is pretty straightforward:

1. Log in to your account and find the Data privacy tab
2. Click on Data for Generative AI Improvement
3. Toggle that switch to off

Just remember, this only stops them from using your data moving forward. It doesn’t get your info back that’s already been shared.

LinkedIn’s not alone in using AI to improve their platform, and this whole thing highlights the delicate balance between leveraging AI to create better user experiences and respecting user privacy.

As AI becomes more prevalent across social media, we’ll need to stay vigilant about how our data is being used and take advantage of those opt-out options when they’re available.

What do you think about LinkedIn’s move to use user data to train AI? Are you okay with social media companies taking this approach? Let’s discuss below in the comments, or ping us on our Twitter or Facebook.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.