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What exactly is changing?
LinkedIn is updating its terms of service and privacy policy. From November 3, it will begin using data from members in the EU, EEA, Switzerland, Canada, and Hong Kong to train artificial intelligence (AI) models, which are used to create content and power new LinkedIn features like writing assistants and hiring tools. In some regions, like Canada and Hong Kong, this change will also include sharing data with Microsoft (LinkedIn’s parent company) and other affiliates for AI training and targeted advertising.
This system is already in place in the United States, where LinkedIn began using member data for AI training earlier. Now the company is extending the same approach to more regions.
This change is accompanied by updates to LinkedIn’s terms of service and privacy policy, which all users agree to by continuing to use the platform after November 3. It also means that if you are from one of these regions, your data will be used automatically unless you opt out.
LinkedIn is introducing generative AI across multiple areas of its platform, and training these models requires vast amounts of real-world data. In LinkedIn’s update, the company says this AI training will:
- Make features like AI-powered writing assistants smarter.
- Help recruiters find candidates more easily.
- Personalize platform experience and provide more relevant content to its members.
What data will be used?
LinkedIn lists several categories of data that may be used to train generative AI models:
- Profile data (name, headline, current position, work experience, education, location, skills, certifications, volunteering, endorsements, recommendations).
- Public content (posts, articles, comments, polls, group activity).
- AI usage data (how you use LinkedIn’s AI tools, the text you input into them, language preferences, and feedback on suggestions).
- Job-related data (resumes and answers to screening questions saved on your profile).
However, not everything you put on the platform will be used for AI. LinkedIn states that it won’t include any sensitive data, like your private messages, login credentials, payment data, salary information, or job application data, attributable to a specific individual.
Most of the data LinkedIn uses for AI training comes from information that’s already public on your profile, unless you change your privacy settings. Public profiles often include detailed career histories, qualifications, and other identifying information. While this data is already visible to anyone who looks for it, using it to train AI means it can be processed and reused in new ways — something worth paying attention to.
Why should you be concerned about this?
If you rely on LinkedIn to do your job or simply use it as a social platform, this change affects you. Your LinkedIn profile is often a complete public record of your career.
While LinkedIn says it uses privacy-enhancing technologies and seeks to minimize personal information in training sets, the scope of data included by default is large. It covers nearly everything visible on your profile and public activity. Feeding that information into AI systems without clear limits can lead to:
- Unintended exposure. AI models can surface or remix personal data in ways you didn’t intend.
- Profiling and inference risks. Your career or affiliations could be inferred or used in models outside your control.
Your public identity becomes model fuel. Your work history, qualifications, recommendations, and publications can teach models how to write about professional topics. If your work involves public scrutiny or sensitive information, like journalism, activism, nonprofit work, or public service, your data could end up shaping AI outputs in ways you didn’t intend.
How can you opt out?
If you are worried about the platform gathering your personal data to train AI, you don’t necessarily have to delete your LinkedIn account. You can continue using the platform as before, but you must take these two steps to prevent all uses of your data for future AI training:
- 1.Turn off data collection in your settings. Go to “Settings” > “Data privacy” > “Data for generative AI improvement” and toggle the switch off. Doing so will prevent LinkedIn and its affiliates from using your profile data and public content for future content-generating model training. However, if you do it after November 3, remember that turning it off does not reverse any training that has already happened.
- 2.Submit the data processing objection form. This step addresses other AI and machine-learning uses that do not generate content (for example, personalization or moderation). You can find the data processing objection form on LinkedIn's website. Fill out your information and state that you object to the processing of your personal data and content for AI model training.
These steps won’t affect your ability to use generative AI features on the platform. They simply prevent your data from being used to train those models.
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