Google, Microsoft and Data Misuse: Was your personal data used to train AI?

Big Tech giants like Google and Microsoft are facing mounting legal pressure over claims that they have misused users’ personal data to develop and train their artificial intelligence (AI) systems — all without proper consent. From emails to location data, the scope of what may have been taken is vast and the consequences for consumers could be huge.

If you’ve used services like Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Microsoft 365, Outlook, LinkedIn, or even Xbox, your private data could have been used in ways you never agreed to. Now, legal experts believe you may be owed financial compensation for this alleged misuse.

What is “data misuse” and why does it matter?

Data misuse happens when personal or sensitive information is collected, used, or shared without proper permission or in ways that go beyond what users knowingly agreed to. Unlike a data breach, which usually relates to cyber attacks and other forms of unauthorised access, acquisition, or exposure of sensitive data, data misuse is when data is used for purposes beyond its intended or authorised use – and tends to relate to bad practice of companies who you have consented to share you data with.

Make sure you understand the difference between data breach and data mis-use: the two main claims you can make when it comes to the improper handling of your sensitive personal data.

In this case, Google and Microsoft are accused of using personal content such as:

Emails and chat messages
Photos, videos, and documents
Browsing history and location data
Job applications and online activity

The controversy lies in how this data may have been used to fuel the development of advanced AI tools potentially without users’ knowledge or explicit consent.

This goes beyond targeted advertising or user analytics. We’re talking about your personal data being used to train AI models, allowing these companies to build more powerful technologies without informing, let alone compensating, the people whose data was used.

AI training and the legal grey area

Training an AI system requires enormous volumes of data, including real-world human content. To make AI smarter, companies feed it vast quantities of information: conversations, documents, images, locations, and more. The problem? Much of this data may come from everyday users who never gave meaningful consent for such use.

The legality of this practice is still a grey area. On one hand, tech companies argue that they operate within the boundaries of user agreements and terms of service, the ones most people skip through. On the other hand, critics say these companies exploit vague policies and bury consent deep within complex legal language that most users don’t fully understand.

The result is a situation where billions of pieces of personal data could have been quietly harvested and processed to train commercial AI products, all while users remained unaware.

How you can make a claim for data misuse

If you’ve ever used platforms like Gmail, YouTube, Chrome, Google Maps, Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, LinkedIn, Skype, or Xbox your data could be part of this.

Now, legal firm Barings Law is helping individuals fight back through Dataclaim, a service designed to help people claim financial compensation for data misuse. It’s a no-win, no-fee process, meaning there’s no upfront cost and no financial risk to start a claim.

You may be eligible for compensation if your data was used without your permission and with growing scrutiny on Big Tech’s data practices, now is the time to act.

Join the claim today

If you have any thoughts on this topic, or any other consumer issues you would like us to cover, feel free to get in touch with us at support@resolver.co.uk.