Sometimes we feel powerless when we see how much control big tech companies have over our personal data. To some extent, it’s understandable that data is part of their business model. But the scale at which it happens today is deeply concerning.
The key point:
we don’t have to accept everything out of a sense of helplessness.
Thanks to European privacy laws, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are required to provide us with settings that give at least some control over how our data is used.
For example, we can often choose between personalized ads or more generic ones. This already reduces the level of detail stored and analyzed about us.
Training AI with our data? No, thanks.
What’s new is that almost every major platform is now using user data to train their own AI systems. Meta (Facebook, Instagram & Co.) has been doing this for a while – and LinkedIn has now followed suit.
The good news: LinkedIn gives you an option to opt out of having your data used for AI training.
Here’s how:
Within the same privacy menu, you can also restrict other types of data processing – for example, disabling the storage of optional in-app cookies.
Bottom line: We’re not entirely powerless. It’s worth checking your settings and deciding for yourself what data you’re willing to share – and what you’d rather keep private.