LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional social networking platforms, with over 740 million members worldwide as of 2022. As a career-focused site, LinkedIn allows users to connect with professionals, search for jobs, follow companies, and build their online professional brand.
With so much personal and professional data on the platform, it’s natural for users to wonder – does LinkedIn track your activity? The short answer is yes, LinkedIn does monitor user activity in their app and on their website. However, the extent of their tracking and how the data is used depends on your privacy settings and local data protection laws.
What user data does LinkedIn track?
LinkedIn states in their Privacy Policy that they collect a wide range of user data, including:
- Contact info – name, email, phone number, physical address
- Employment and education history
- Content shared – posts, articles, links, media
- Connections and relationships
- Groups and companies followed
- Searches performed
- Pages viewed and links clicked
- Device data – IP address, browser, operating system
- Precise location data (with consent)
In addition to data users actively provide, LinkedIn also receives meta data about your activity from cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies on their desktop and mobile sites. This includes your browsing history, scroll depth, clicks, and other interactions.
Profile views
One of the most asked questions is whether LinkedIn can track profile views. The answer is yes – LinkedIn does keep track of all the profiles you view. You can even see who viewed your profile in the last 90 days, although this is an anonymous list for standard account holders.
LinkedIn states they track profile views to provide this viewer data to users and ensure their services are not misused. For example, extreme profile viewing could indicate a spam bot or abusive behavior.
Location tracking
The LinkedIn mobile app asks permission to access your precise location while using the app. If enabled, LinkedIn can track your exact GPS coordinates and use this to provide localized content and recommendations.
For example, you may see job openings near your current location or LinkedIn events happening in your city. Location data also powers LinkedIn’s fingerprinting technology to identify unique app installs.
How does LinkedIn use this data?
LinkedIn states that the user data they collect is used for the following purposes:
- Provide, maintain, and improve their services
- Research and develop new services and features
- Enable communications between users
- Send promotional messages and targeted advertising
- Personalize content and user experience
- Show relevant career opportunities
- Conduct analytics to operate and protect their services
In summary, LinkedIn leverages user data to enhance their platform’s functionality, research user behavior, and serve customized content and ads to each member.
Targeted advertising
One of the main ways LinkedIn monetizes their platform is through targeted advertising based on member data. User activity, profile information, interests, and other signals are used to infer each member’s likely interests and intent.
For example, if you view tech job postings in San Francisco, you may see promoted content for relevant tech conferences, courses, or companies hiring in the Bay Area.
Third party data sharing
LinkedIn does share certain user data with third parties such as advertisers, measurement partners, researchers, and service providers. Data shared can include ID info, demographic data, content interactions, and other activity.
However, LinkedIn states that all third parties are contractually obligated to only use data as instructed and not for other purposes. They also claim not to sell personal member data to third parties.
LinkedIn tracking methods
LinkedIn employs various methods to monitor activity and collect data from their members. Some of the main tracking technologies used include:
Cookies
Cookies are small text files that websites store on visitor devices to identify repeat visitors, save login status, personalize content, and track online behavior. LinkedIn uses both session and persistent cookies.
Web beacons
Web beacons are tiny pixel images embedded on web pages and emails that quietly log user interactions. Opening an email or page containing a beacon connects your activity to your profile.
SDKs and APIs
LinkedIn’s mobile apps contain software development kits (SDKs) that report extensive data back to LinkedIn servers about how you use their services on mobile. APIs also facilitate data exchange.
Click tracking
Links within LinkedIn emails and across their sites are tagged to trace user clicks for analytics. Clicking a link indicates interest in the content.
Fingerprinting
Fingerprinting uses device and browser properties to create a unique identifier to track you. LinkedIn can reconstruct who you are based on this fingerprint.
Does LinkedIn read private messages?
LinkedIn states that they do not read or intercept private conversations on their platform. However, metadata like who you are messaging, when, and how often is tracked and analyzed.
In their Privacy Policy, LinkedIn reserves the right to review private communications if legally required or to enforce their User Agreement (such as for investigation of abuse). But systematic monitoring of conversations does not occur.
Controlling LinkedIn’s tracking
While LinkedIn does monitor their members to an extent, you have some options to limit their tracking:
Adjust privacy settings
Adjust your account’s privacy settings on who can see your activity, profile, connections, etc. You can also turn off data personalization to opt out of tailored ads.
Limit ad tracking
On iOS and Android devices, you can enable the Limit Ad Tracking setting which opts you out of behavioral ads.
Use tracker blocking tools
Browser extensions like Privacy Badger and mobile apps like Lockdown can block many trackers and cookies on LinkedIn sites and apps.
Browse privately
Enable private browsing and clear cookies after each LinkedIn visit to prevent tracking across multiple sessions.
Review account data
LinkedIn allows you to download your account data to review and delete as desired. You can also turn off data collection for specific purposes.
Limit app permissions
Be selective when granting LinkedIn app permissions like location, contacts, calendar, etc. Disable unnecessary permissions.
Does LinkedIn sell your data?
LinkedIn claims not to sell personal member data to third parties, unlike some other social networks. However, they do allow advertisers and partners to target, deliver, and measure ads based on LinkedIn data.
While advertisers may not receive individual profiles and private data, LinkedIn aggregates and shares certain data like demographics, interests, and intent with marketers to enable advertising.
Microsoft data sharing
Since acquiring LinkedIn in 2016, Microsoft can aggregate LinkedIn data with other Microsoft-owned properties. However, Microsoft states they still do not sell or rent individual LinkedIn member data.
Legal requirements
As a US company, LinkedIn is subject to certain US laws regarding user privacy and data collection practices. This includes:
- COPPA – prohibits collecting data of children under 13 without consent
- CCPA – gives California residents rights over personal data use
- GDPR – extensive EU regulations on data protection and privacy
LinkedIn is obligated to comply with these and other data regulations in the jurisdictions in which they operate globally. Failure to adhere can result in heavy fines.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn does monitor and collect significant amounts of user activity and personal data in order to provide their services, personalize the platform, enable communications, and serve relevant content and ads.
However, LinkedIn states they do not sell personal private data to third parties, and members can use privacy settings and tools to limit tracking. Understanding LinkedIn’s data practices allows professionals to make informed decisions on what information they share.
| Data Type | Information Collected | Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Profile data | Name, email, employment history, education, skills, etc. | Building user profiles, targeting relevant opportunities |
| Network data | Connections, groups, companies followed | Understanding professional relationships and interests |
| Activity data | Content interactions, searches, page visits, clicks | Personalizing feed, advertising, analytics |
| Device data | IP address, device ID, operating system, etc. | Fingerprinting, security, localizing experience |
| Location data | Precise GPS coordinates (with consent) | Localizing content like jobs and events |
Key Takeaways
- LinkedIn tracks profile views, content clicks, searches, page visits, and precise location (if granted permission).
- Data is used to improve services, personalize the platform, and serve targeted ads.
- LinkedIn does share some aggregated data with advertisers but claims not to sell individual profiles.
- You can limit tracking through privacy settings, tracker blocking tools, and limiting app permissions.
