By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) – Microsoft’s LinkedIn is being sued by Premium customers who say the business-focused social media platform disclosed their private messages to third parties without the training’s consent. generative artificial intelligence models.

According to a proposed class action filed Tuesday night for millions of LinkedIn Premium customers, LinkedIn quietly introduced a privacy setting in August that allowed users to cannot disable the sharing of their personal data.

Customers said LinkedIn then wisely updated its privacy policy on Sept. 18 to say that the data can be used to train AI models, and in a “frequently asked questions” the hyperlink says that opting out “will not affect the training that has already taken place.”

This attempt to “cover its tracks” suggests that LinkedIn is fully aware that it has violated the privacy of customers and its promise to use personal data to support and improve its platform, to reduce scrutiny. public and legal fallout, the complaint said.

The lawsuit was filed in San Jose, California, federal court on behalf of LinkedIn Premium customers who sent or received InMail messages, and whose private information was disclosed to third parties for AI training before the Sept.

It seeks unspecified damages for breach of contract and violations of California’s unfair competition law, and $1,000 per person for violations of the federal Stored Communications Act.

LinkedIn said in a statement: “These are false claims without merit.”

An attorney for the plaintiffs had no immediate further comment.

The lawsuit was filed hours after US President Donald Trump announced a joint venture with Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Oracle (NYSE 🙂 and SoftBank (TYO :)), with a potential $500 billion investment , to build AI infrastructure in the United States.

The case is De La Torre v. LinkedIn Corp, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 25-00709.