LinkedIn Profile Analytics Privacy Settings

❌ Warning: LinkedIn is Using Your Data to Train AI Without Explicit Consent I’ve been raising concerns about data privacy on LinkedIn for a while, and now it's time to sound the alarm again. ⏰ Without any notice, LinkedIn has quietly changed its privacy settings to allow your personal data to be used to train its AI models. That's right – everything you write, post, and engage with on LinkedIn could be feeding into their AI system without your explicit consent. LinkedIn’s updated privacy policy has made this the default setting, meaning most of us are opted in automatically. So, unless you manually opt out, LinkedIn could leverage your content to enhance its AI tools like writing assistants and recommendation engines. This is not just about a few tweaks to improve your feed. The data you’ve carefully curated on LinkedIn – posts, articles, and even your interactions – might now be shaping AI models for a company that is, let’s not forget, owned by Microsoft with a direct stake in the AI boom. 🛑 Here’s why this matters: ❌ No clear notification: Most users have no idea this change has occurred. You’ve likely been opted in by default. ❌ Your personal data at risk: LinkedIn says they use “privacy-enhancing technologies,” but once your data has been used, you can’t reverse it. ❌ Global concern: While users in the EU and Switzerland "may" be protected from this by data laws, everyone else is left vulnerable. I’m frankly disappointed in how LinkedIn has handled this. This feels like a breach of trust. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of your data being used in this way, here’s how you can take control: 🔧 How to Opt Out of LinkedIn’s AI Data Grab: 1️⃣ Go to your LinkedIn Account Settings. 2️⃣ Select the Data Privacy tab. 3️⃣ Find the option for Data for Generative AI Improvement. 4️⃣ Toggle it OFF to stop LinkedIn from using your data for future AI model training. It’s worth noting that turning off this setting will only prevent future data from being used; it does nothing for what’s already been fed into their system, just sayin'. My data is valuable. Your data is valuable. LinkedIn and companies like Microsoft are fully aware of this. So let’s make sure we stay informed and ensure that our data is used on our terms, not theirs. 📌 Today, check your settings, share this information with your network, and protect your personal data. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need help finding the setting. Let’s hold LinkedIn accountable for transparency, at the very least. Nigel Cliffe

Last week's news that LinkedIn is using our personal data and content to train its generative AI without our knowledge or consent caused a firestorm. If this is the first you’ve heard of it, it was widely reported that LinkedIn had secretly added a setting that by default gave it permission to use our material and details to train its AI. This did not affect Europe which has strong GPDR rules and by the end of the week LinkedIn had also had publicly agreed to exempt UK members after its Information Commissioner's Office complained. Some members have been receiving notifications about LinkedIn’s privacy policy when logging into the app – but without any direct mention of the new setting. This message contains the privacy policy and a 6-year old YouTube video. It has also been revealed that a new privacy policy is being developed which, I suspect, will automatically grant LinkedIn the right to do what it wants with our content. This has been reported as going live in November and continued use of the platform will be taken as agreement to its conditions. As could have been predicted, the LinkedIn community is in uproar over the quiet addition of the new setting. And if you don’t want your personal details and your content to be used to train LinkedIn’s generative AI (not that it doesn’t desperately need it) without giving you credit for your ideas, I highly recommend switching it off. To do that go to Settings & Privacy / Data privacy / Data for Generative AI Improvement and toggle it OFF.   That this setting could have been slipped in without any notification to members has made me curious about what else might be hiding in our Settings & Privacy that we don’t know about, don’t want set up the way it currently is or don’t know the ramifications of. So on this week’s pop-up live, I’m going to trawl through the Settings & Privacy section to find out just what else we might not know about, understand the import of or might want to change. If you’re equally curious, do join me. 🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷 Want to learn how to leverage LinkedIn™️ to achieve your professional goals? Check out our Link∙Ability page and head over to linkability[.]biz for ideas, strategies and techniques. Got something to add? 🔷 COMMENT 🔷 Would others find it useful? 🔷 REPOST 🔷 Want to see more like this? 🔷 🔔 🔷 Plan to refer back to this? 🔷 SAVE 🔷 Think I know my stuff? 🔷 ENDORSE 🔷 📌📌📌 Tip of the day – want more visibility on your company page? Start commenting on other pages’ posts as your own page. Michelle J Raymond speaking on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.

Check your LinkedIn Settings right now and 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐅𝐅. (unless you want LinkedIn to train its AI on 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 data). Most people assume the tech platforms they use every day are safe by default. And that the dominant market players are generally going to be safer than other options, since they can afford to "do it right". But here's the reality: You still need to do a periodic check-up of your security and privacy settings. Because unless you manually see it and opt out, LinkedIn (and other data-rich platforms) will continue to turn on new features which default to using your consumer data to train their #AImodels. That means your profile, posts, history, connections, and even private messages might be used to improve a system you didn’t consent to build. What's most worrisome to me is how the "black box" that is the AI model could be using your data to make its own inferences. I can imagine how it might accidentally expose the fact that your head of finance is updating his resume, your recent hire is still taking intros from head hunters, and a mid-level software developer has multiple LinkedIn profiles and is secretly working three jobs. At eSilo, we're vigilant about where our data goes and how it’s used. We think you should too. Here's how to change your settings: 🔐 Go to: Settings & Privacy → Data Privacy 🔐 Manage how LinkedIn uses your data 🔐 Toggle OFF: “Allow LinkedIn to use your data to improve AI models” (and I actually recommend turning off all of the bottom 3 in the pic) It takes 10 seconds to protect your digital footprint—but only if you know to look. 🧠 Cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls and phishing—it’s about everyday decisions that protect your identity, data, and online persona. What other platforms are you going to check today? #CyberLeadership #PrivacyByDesign #DataEthics #LinkedInPrivacy #CISOTips #SecurityByDesign #DataPrivacy

Little surprise ... LinkedIn is using your data to feed its AI models, unless you opt out (explanation below). Since November 3, 2025, LinkedIn has begun using member data in several regions (EU, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong…) to train its generative AI models, without asking for explicit consent. 📊 What’s being used: - Your profile info (name, title, education, skills, etc.) - Your posts, comments, and poll answers - Job applications and prompts entered into LinkedIn’s AI features 🚫 What’s not being used (according to LinkedIn): - Private messages (InMail, DMs) - Login credentials, payments, or salary details 🧨 Here’s the issue: This setting is ON by default. You’re automatically included unless you opt out. And here’s where it gets worse - In January 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed in California against LinkedIn. Premium users claim their private InMails were used for AI training before the company updated its privacy policy to reflect this change. The lawsuit alleges that LinkedIn quietly updated its terms to “cover its tracks,” confirming that opting out “does not affect training that has already taken place.” For now, there is no official proof of that. 🧭 How to opt out: Go to: Settings & Privacy → Data Privacy → Data for Generative AI Improvement ➡️ Turn the toggle OFF Note: this only stops future training. Data already used can’t be withdrawn. 💡 In short: ✔ LinkedIn is using your data to train AI by default ✔ A lawsuit already accuses them of mishandling private messages ✔ You can opt out - but few people know about it 🔒 Transparency shouldn’t be optional. If you care about your data, go check that setting right now, and share this post so others can too. #GenAI #Privacy #LinkedIn #DataProtection #GenerativeAI #Ethics