LinkedIn is a popular professional networking platform used by millions of people around the world. When you create a LinkedIn profile, it allows you to connect with other professionals in your industry, search for jobs, follow companies, and more. But what about viewing other people’s profiles – can you do it anonymously without the other person being notified?
Quick Answer
The short answer is: yes, it is possible to view someone’s LinkedIn profile without them knowing, but there are some limitations. LinkedIn does not notify users when someone views their public profile. However, if you try to view a private profile without being connected, LinkedIn will display limited information and prompt you to connect with that person in order to view their full profile.
Explaining How LinkedIn Profile Views Work
When you view someone’s public LinkedIn profile who you are not connected to, they will not receive any notification that you looked at their profile. This allows you to browse LinkedIn profiles anonymously without others knowing you viewed their profile. However, there are a couple of important caveats:
- If you view someone’s profile anonymously too many times within a short period, LinkedIn may prompt you to connect with them before allowing further views. This seems to be an attempt to prevent excessive anonymous profile stalking.
- While public profiles can be viewed anonymously, viewing private profiles requires being connected to that person on LinkedIn. Otherwise, you will only see limited profile information.
Essentially, LinkedIn allows discreet viewing of public profiles but restricts access heavily for private profiles. Only direct connections are granted full access to private profiles.
Viewing Public Profiles Anonymously
Viewing public LinkedIn profiles discreetly is straightforward:
- Conduct a LinkedIn search to find the profile you want to view or go directly to the profile URL if you have it.
- Click on the profile name or photo to open the profile.
- View the profile information you’d like while logged out of LinkedIn or in an incognito browser window.
- Close the profile when you are finished viewing it.
The profile owner will not receive any notification that you viewed their profile. You can repeat this process as needed, but viewing too frequently may prompt LinkedIn to ask you to connect with the person first before continuing.
Attempting to View Private Profiles Anonymously
For private LinkedIn profiles, the process differs:
- Conduct a search to find the private profile or go directly to the profile URL.
- Click on the profile name or photo to open it.
- You will see a message indicating the profile is private and prompting you to connect.
- The profile information displayed will be very limited – typically just the person’s name, photo, and current position.
To view the full private profile anonymously, you would need for the profile owner to accept your connection request. Otherwise, LinkedIn intentionally limits access to private profile information to protect their users’ privacy.
Why You May Want to View Profiles Discreetly
There are a few legitimate reasons why someone may want to look at a LinkedIn profile without the profile owner knowing:
- Researching a potential business partner or vendor.
- Viewing profiles of applicants during the hiring process.
- Checking out the background and qualifications of someone you just met.
- Connecting with industry leaders or influencers to learn more about them.
In most cases, looking at public profiles discretely is not considered improper conduct on LinkedIn. It allows you to collect helpful information legitimately. However, excessive anonymous viewing of an individual may be frowned upon.
Is Anonymous Profile Viewing Discouraged?
LinkedIn does seem to discourage viewing someone’s profile anonymously too many times. If you view a public profile repeatedly within a short timespan, LinkedIn may:
- Prompt you to connect with that person in order to continue viewing their profile.
- Limit your ability to view that profile while not logged in.
- Suggest you pay for a LinkedIn premium account to enable anonymous viewing again.
This indicates that while some discreet profile viewing is expected, LinkedIn doesn’t want the platform used to anonymously “stalk” or creep on other users excessively. Profiles are intended to be professional overviews of someone’s background, not their life’s details.
Can You Be 100% Anonymous?
While public LinkedIn profiles can be viewed anonymously, being completely anonymous on LinkedIn is difficult. Even if you are logged out or in an incognito window, LinkedIn still collects some analytics on who is viewing which profiles. And remember LinkedIn limits anonymous profile views if done excessively.
Some ways LinkedIn may still collect info on anonymous viewers:
- Using tracking cookies or web beacons
- Logging IP addresses
- Browser fingerprinting
So while profile owners don’t receive notifications, LinkedIn still may have data on who is viewing different profiles anonymously. However, this data is likely only used internally by LinkedIn unless abusive behavior is detected.
Should You Discreetly View LinkedIn Profiles?
Most professionals agree there nothing unethical about viewing someone’s public LinkedIn profile anonymously in moderation. It allows you to learn about their background and experience legitimately. However, caveats include:
- Don’t view someone’s profile excessively as this may be considered creepy behavior.
- Respect it if LinkedIn asks you to connect with someone instead of anonymous viewing.
- Never create fake accounts or workarounds to access private profile data.
- Remember LinkedIn may still collect analytics on anonymous profile viewing in the background.
As long as you are using anonymous viewing in a professional manner, it can be a useful tool on LinkedIn without notification to the profile owner. But be sure not to abuse the system or use it to “lurk” on other users inappropriately. LinkedIn seems to discourage this behavior and will limit your access if detected.
Conclusion
Viewing public LinkedIn profiles anonymously is generally acceptable in moderation. While profile owners do not receive notifications, LinkedIn discourages excessive anonymous profile viewing by limiting access. Private profiles grant very limited access to non-connections by design. So discreet viewing is possible on public information if done professionally, but full private profiles require formal connections that will notify the user.
| Profile Type | Anonymous Viewing | Notification to User |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Allowed with limits | No |
| Private | Very restricted | Yes, if connected |
The key takeaways around viewing LinkedIn profiles anonymously are:
- Use public viewing discreetly and moderately.
- Respect private profile settings by connecting first.
- LinkedIn discourages excessive anonymous viewing of an individual.
- Some analytics may still be collected by LinkedIn on anonymous views.
Following these guidelines allows you to leverage LinkedIn appropriately without making other users uncomfortable. Public profiles provide plenty of professional information that can be consumed anonymously with some prudent limitations.
