Madan ChauhanYes, it’s true. On November 3rd, 2025, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn officially began using member data to train artificial intelligence models, marking a significant shift in how the professional networking platform handles your personal information. This policy change affects millions of users across the European Union, European Economic Area, Switzerland, Canada, Hong Kong, and India—and you were automatically opted in by default.
The Reality Behind LinkedIn’s AI Training Policy
LinkedIn’s updated privacy policy represents one of the tech industry’s most aggressive moves toward leveraging user-generated content for artificial intelligence development. The platform now collects an extensive range of your professional data to power its generative AI features, sharing this information with Microsoft and its affiliates.
What data is LinkedIn collecting? The scope is surprisingly comprehensive. According to LinkedIn’s updated terms, the platform now uses:
- Complete profile information including your name, photo, current position, work history, education, location, skills, certifications, licenses, volunteering experiences, publications, patents, endorsements, and recommendations
- All public content you create—posts, articles, poll responses, comments, and contributions
- Group activity and messages within LinkedIn groups
- Job-related data including uploaded resumes and screening question responses
- Your interactions with LinkedIn’s generative AI features and any feedback you provide
What’s explicitly excluded? LinkedIn states that private direct messages, login credentials, payment information, and individually identifiable salary data will not be used for AI training. Additionally, accounts belonging to users under 18 are automatically excluded from the data collection.
Why LinkedIn Claims This Is Legal
LinkedIn justifies this sweeping data collection under the GDPR principle of “legitimate interest”. This legal basis allows companies to process personal data without explicit consent when they can demonstrate that their business interests outweigh individual privacy concerns—provided users have an easy way to object.
The Ireland Data Protection Commission (DPC), which oversees LinkedIn’s European operations, conducted an extensive review of the policy before its implementation. While the DPC didn’t approve or find the policy compliant, it determined that LinkedIn’s adjustments—including improved transparency notices, reduced data scope, better age verification measures, and filters to avoid sensitive information—were sufficient to avoid immediate regulatory intervention.
This represents a critical test of GDPR’s legitimate interest provision, especially considering LinkedIn received a €310 million fine from Irish regulators just one month earlier for similar data processing violations.
The November 3rd Deadline and What It Means
The November 3rd, 2025 implementation date wasn’t arbitrary—it marked the moment when LinkedIn began actively feeding your data into AI training systems. Here’s the critical part: any data you shared before opting out remains permanently in LinkedIn’s training datasets. Once information enters AI models, it cannot be “unlearned” or removed.
This means two decades of professional content—dating back to LinkedIn’s founding in 2003—is now potentially part of the training data unless users manually adjusted their settings before the deadline.
How LinkedIn’s AI Will Use Your Data
The stated purpose behind this data collection is to enhance LinkedIn’s AI-powered features. These include:
- Content generation tools that help you write posts, articles, and profile updates
- Smart job matching that connects members with relevant opportunities
- Automated message suggestions for professional communications
- Personalized content recommendations in your feed
- Enhanced search capabilities for recruiters and hiring managers
Additionally, LinkedIn expanded its data sharing with Microsoft for “improved targeted advertising” across the Microsoft ecosystem. Your profile details, feed activity, and ad interaction data now flow to Microsoft and its subsidiaries to deliver more personalized advertisements.
Privacy Concerns and Industry Backlash
The policy update triggered immediate backlash from privacy advocates, legal experts, and users worldwide. Critics highlight several fundamental problems:
Lack of informed consent: Most users weren’t notified before LinkedIn began implementing the changes, and the opt-in-by-default approach means millions may never realize their data is being used.
Irreversible impact: Unlike other forms of data processing, AI training is permanent. Even if you opt out today, your historical data remains embedded in the models.
Professional integrity risks: For professionals engaged in sensitive discussions or sharing proprietary insights, having this content feed AI systems raises concerns about misrepresentation, oversimplification, and potential competitive disadvantages.
Scope creep: LinkedIn provides no advance notice requirement for future policy changes, allowing potential expansion of data usage without user notification.
The Open Rights Group’s legal officer Mariano delli Santi stated: “The opt-out model proves once again to be wholly inadequate to protect our rights: the public cannot be expected to monitor and chase every single online company that decides to use our data to train AI”.
How to Protect Your LinkedIn Data (Step-by-Step)
If you want to prevent LinkedIn from using your data for future AI training, you need to manually opt out. Important: This only stops future data collection—it won’t remove information already used.
On Desktop:
- Log into your LinkedIn account
- Click your profile picture in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Navigate to “Data Privacy” in the left sidebar
- Under “How LinkedIn uses your data,” find “Data for Generative AI Improvement”
- Toggle the setting to “Off”
On Mobile (iOS/Android):
- Open the LinkedIn app and log in
- Tap your profile picture
- Select “Settings”
- Choose “Data privacy”
- Find “Data for Generative AI Improvement”
- Toggle the setting to “Off”
Additional Protection:
For comprehensive protection, you should also submit a Data Processing Objection Form to formally object to other AI-related processing not covered by the generative AI toggle. This addresses AI models used for personalization, security, and anti-abuse purposes.
Quick access link: You can go directly to the setting at linkedin.com/mypreferences/d/settings/data-for-ai-improvement
You might also like our blog post on Navigate Linkedin Like a Pro
The Broader Context: Tech’s AI Data Grab
LinkedIn isn’t alone in this practice. The professional networking platform joins a growing list of tech giants leveraging user data for AI development:
- Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) uses user content to train AI models, facing similar backlash and regulatory challenges
- X (formerly Twitter) under Elon Musk’s ownership feeds public posts into its Grok AI system
- Reddit has entered data licensing deals with AI companies, with limited or no opt-out options for users
- Google uses data from Gemini interactions, including file uploads, for model improvement
- OpenAI processes all ChatGPT interactions to refine its models unless you specifically disable training
According to Incogni’s Social Media Privacy Ranking 2025, twelve out of fifteen major platforms may use personal data to train AI models. Meta’s platforms and TikTok now rank as the most privacy-invasive, while Discord, Pinterest, and Quora offer better privacy protections.
What This Means for Your Professional Brand
For professionals who have spent years cultivating their LinkedIn presence—sharing insights, building thought leadership, and establishing expertise—this policy raises uncomfortable questions about data ownership and intellectual property.
Your carefully crafted posts, industry analyses, and professional commentary are now training AI systems that could potentially generate similar content, effectively commodifying your expertise without compensation or attribution. This has particular implications for:
- Content creators who share original insights and analysis
- Industry experts discussing proprietary methodologies
- Thought leaders building personal brands through unique perspectives
- Consultants and coaches sharing specialized knowledge
- Job seekers who’ve uploaded detailed resumes and application materials
Staying Informed: Regular Privacy Audits
Given that tech platforms frequently update their policies without prominent notification, cybersecurity experts recommend conducting quarterly privacy audits:
- Review all privacy settings on platforms you use regularly
- Check connected apps and services and revoke unnecessary permissions
- Update passwords and enable two-factor authentication
- Limit data sharing with third-party partners
- Monitor for policy change notifications from platforms you depend on
- Consider privacy-focused alternatives when available
The Future of Data Privacy in the AI Era
LinkedIn’s November 3rd policy implementation represents a watershed moment in the ongoing tension between AI innovation and personal privacy. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly sophisticated, the demand for training data will only intensify.
The European Union’s approach—requiring legitimate interest assessments and providing opt-out mechanisms—offers more protection than many regions, but critics argue it still places an unreasonable burden on individual users. The fundamental question remains: should tech companies be allowed to leverage user-generated content for AI training by default, or should explicit consent be required?
For now, the responsibility falls on individual users to stay informed, regularly review privacy settings, and make conscious decisions about their digital footprint. The November 3rd deadline may have passed, but you can still take action today to limit future data collection.
Taking Action: Your Next Steps
Immediate actions you can take right now:
- Opt out of LinkedIn’s generative AI training using the steps outlined above
- Submit a Data Processing Objection Form for comprehensive protection
- Review and clean up your profile to remove sensitive or outdated information
- Audit your past posts and consider deleting content you don’t want in training data
- Delete old resumes and job application materials stored on LinkedIn
- Check your other social media privacy settings—LinkedIn isn’t the only platform collecting data for AI
- Enable two-factor authentication to secure your account
- Regularly monitor LinkedIn’s policy updates for future changes
The Bottom Line
Microsoft’s decision to use your LinkedIn data for AI training starting November 3rd, 2025, is indeed true—and it affects hundreds of millions of users worldwide. While LinkedIn claims legitimate business interest and provides opt-out mechanisms, the default-on approach means your professional data is being used unless you actively take steps to prevent it.
The age of AI-powered services comes with a cost: your data. Understanding how platforms use your information, staying informed about policy changes, and taking proactive steps to protect your privacy are now essential skills for anyone maintaining a professional online presence.
Don’t wait—protect your data today. The information you’ve shared over years of LinkedIn activity is valuable, and you deserve control over how it’s used. Visit your privacy settings now and make the choice that’s right for you.
Have you opted out of LinkedIn’s AI training? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Let’s continue this important conversation about data privacy in the AIhe AI era.
