DPC concerns prompt LinkedIn AI changes
The data-protection watchdog says that LinkedIn has agreed to change some of its plans to train its own generative AI (GenAI) models with users’ personal data.
The Data Protection Commission (DPC) had expressed concerns to the social-media platform about some aspects of how it planned to process users’ personal data.
It made a number of recommendations to LinkedIn to address these issues.
In a statement today, the DPC said that the platform had agreed to make changes that included improved transparency notices, a reduction in the scope of the personal data that it will use to train its models, and improved measures to prevent the personal data of those under the age of 18 being used.
Measures ‘address concerns’
The DPC said that it would continue to monitor LinkedIn’s roll-out of its plans.
The platform must also compile a report on its training process within five months of its start – as other platforms have been required to do on this issue.
The watchdog stressed that it had not approved, nor found compliant, LinkedIn’s use of users’ personal data for GenAI training.
“However, the additional measures implemented by LinkedIn have sufficiently addressed the DPC’s concerns such that further regulatory intervention is not considered necessary at present,” it stated, adding that it would use its regulatory powers if necessary.
According to the DPC, LinkedIn users should have received notifications advising them on how they can assert their right to object under the GDPR by opting out of their personal data being used for training the platform’s AI models.