LinkedIn's Spooktacular Surprise: Your Posts are Haunting AI Training Grounds

This ghostly revelation affects a whopping 930 million users worldwide, turning their professional posts and profiles into a haunted training ground for AI algorithms. While European users are protected by the silver bullet of stringent data regulations, the rest of us are left to fend off these data vampires ourselves. 

LinkedIn promises an opt-out feature, but like a zombie's bite, the damage to past data can't be undone. As the digital world becomes increasingly riddled with AI ghouls and data-hungry monsters, users must decide if the treats of advanced features are worth the tricks played with their personal information. 

And yes, we’re making this blog a Halloween SocialJems special!!!

As we creep closer to Halloween, LinkedIn's pulled a trick that's given us quite a fright! They've gone and done it again, haven't they? This time, they're using our posts and profiles to train their AI. And guess what? They didn't even bother asking first. 

💎The Bone-Chilling Discovery

On 18th September 2024, LinkedIn users started noticing something sinister lurking in their settings. The platform had quietly begun training its AI on user data without so much as updating its terms and conditions. Talk about a ghost in the machine! This devilish move affects a staggering 930 million users, essentially turning them into unwitting AI trainers overnight. 

💎The Witch's Brew of AI Features

LinkedIn's been brewing up some wickedly clever AI features for its premium users. Sounds like a treat on paper, doesn't it? But here's the trick, they've been using our data to make these AI models smarter. Everything from our personal info to those carefully crafted posts about how much we love our jobs is being fed into the AI cauldron.

These AI features include:

1. AI-powered writing suggestions
2. Personalised job recommendations
3. Enhanced search capabilities
4. Automated profile summaries

While these features might seem like magic, the dark truth is that they're powered by our own data, harvested without our explicit consent.

💎The Vampire's Confession

The company has owned up to it, saying they'll update their terms of service on 20th November. But it's a bit late for that, isn't it? It's like trying to put a vampire back in its coffin after sunrise. They've admitted to using users' data to train AI without consent, and while they're offering an opt-out for future training, there's no way to exorcise past data use. 

According to LinkedIn's "LinkedIn and Generative AI (GAI) FAQs," the platform claims it aims to minimise personal data in AI training datasets, using privacy-enhancing technologies to redact or remove personal information. However, the fact remains that this data collection began without users' knowledge or consent.

💎UK Users: A Last-Minute Spell of Protection

Now, if you're in the EU, EEA, Switzerland, or the UK, you're safe from this data-draining curse. LinkedIn's promised not to use your data for AI training. This geographic distinction highlights the stark contrast between European data protection standards and the less regulated landscape elsewhere.

LinkedIn has now suspended its use of data from UK users for training its AI models. This decision came after the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) cast a protective charm. Stephen Almond, the ICO's Executive Director, proclaimed: "We are pleased LinkedIn has acknowledged the concerns we raised about the use of UK users' data in training generative AI models."

This eleventh-hour enchantment means UK users join their European counterparts in being shielded from LinkedIn's data-harvesting curse. It's a powerful reminder that sometimes, the right incantation (or regulation) can keep even the most persistent data vampires at bay.

💎Warding Off the AI Ghouls: Your Digital Exorcism Kit

There are sacred rituals to protect yourself from this data nightmare. Here's your digital exorcism kit to banish LinkedIn's AI ghouls:

 💎Disable LinkedIn's Generative AI Data Usage (No garlic needed!): 

🦇On desktop: 

Summon your profile avatar > Conjure Settings & Privacy > Chant "Data Privacy" > Invoke "Data for Generative AI Improvement" > Flip the unholy toggle

🦇On mobile: 

Tap your profile avatar (careful, it might bite!) > Whisper "Settings" > Mutter "Data Privacy" > Enchant "Data for Generative AI Improvement" > Perform the sacred toggle flip

🦇Unearth Your LinkedIn Data (Crystal ball not included): 

Click your profile avatar > Dig through Settings & Privacy > Uncover Data Privacy > Exhume "Get a copy of your data"

🦇Vanquish Your LinkedIn Data (Silver bullets sold separately): 

 Fill out the sacred deletion request form on LinkedIn

Remember, this digital exorcism only prevents future hauntings. Any data they've already spirited away? Well, that ghost has left the haunted house.

LinkedIn swears by its dark arts of privacy-enhancement, claiming to redact or remove personal information when using data to train its AI familiars. However, for members dabbling in AI-driven content creation, any information conjured up will linger in LinkedIn's digital crypt until you decide to stake it through the heart.

Easy as pumpkin pie, right? But remember - this only stops LinkedIn from using your data going forward. Any data they've already nabbed? Well, that ship has sailed to the island of lost data.

💎The Frankenstein's Monster of Data Usage

What exactly is LinkedIn doing with this data? According to their FAQs, they're using personal information to improve AI-driven features. It's like they're building a Frankenstein's monster of professional networking!

For instance, if you interact with an AI tool to draft a document, the system monitors your input and the suggestions it generates. Furthermore, LinkedIn tracks how users interact with its AI tools, such as their language preferences and feedback provided on suggestions.

💎The Wider Web of AI Data Harvesting

Of course, this whole situation has kicked up quite a beastly fuss. Some users are miffed, and rightly so. It's raised more questions than a Ouija board session about privacy and consent in the digital world.

It's not just LinkedIn stirring this cauldron of controversy. This is part of a bigger trend in the tech world. Everyone's racing to build the cleverest AI, and our data's the secret ingredient in their witch's brew.

Meta (Facebook and Instagram's parent company) and X (formerly Twitter) have pulled similar stunts. In fact, Meta recently admitted to using people's public posts to train AI models as far back as 2007. When these companies tried to implement similar practices in Europe, they faced significant backlash and had to backtrack due to stringent GDPR regulations.

💎The AI Act: Europe's Silver Bullet?

The European Union's AI Act is attempting to get ahead of these issues by setting ground rules for how AI systems can be used. This regulatory framework may be a harbinger of more stringent laws as lawmakers recognise the need to protect personal data from being used without consent in AI.

The act specifically addresses these concerns by regulating high-risk AI applications and requiring transparency in data usage. It might be a sign of things to come elsewhere, too, as the world grapples with the ethical implications of AI development.

💎The Haunting Question: Privacy vs Progress

So, what's the takeaway from all this digital hocus pocus? Well, it's a spine-tingling reminder that in our digital world, our data's always up for grabs. Whether it's worth it for the convenience and features these platforms offer - that's for each of us to decide.

As David McInerney, commercial manager for data privacy at Cassie, aptly put it, "Data is the new oil. When the data being sifted through contains personal information, that's where privacy questions come into play." 

💎The Final Nail in the Coffin

How do you feel about this? Let us know!

As we approach All Hallows' Eve, let's hope that next year, the only surprises we get are treats, not tricks with our data. Happy Halloween, and may your data remain as secure as a vampire's coffin at high noon!