LinkedIn’s private mode allows users to browse LinkedIn without alerting their connections that they are online. When private mode is enabled, your profile picture and “Recent” activity will not be visible to your connections. However, there are still ways that your activity on LinkedIn can be detected, even with private mode turned on.
What does LinkedIn’s private mode do?
When you enable private mode on LinkedIn:
- Your connections will not see the green “Recently Active” indicator next to your name
- Your profile photo will not show up in the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section of other profiles
- You can visit other profiles without the person being notified that you viewed their profile
Essentially, private mode hides your account activity from your connections. They will not get notifications or indications that you are online and browsing LinkedIn.
Does private mode make you completely anonymous?
No, LinkedIn’s private mode does not make your activity completely private or anonymous. Here are some ways LinkedIn can still detect your activity and identity even with private mode enabled:
- Your activity is still visible to LinkedIn – LinkedIn will still have a record of everything you do, including profiles you visit. They just won’t show this activity to your connections.
- IP addresses can be tracked – LinkedIn will still see the IP address of the device you are using to access it. This could potentially be linked back to your identity.
- Cookies and tracking tools can follow you – Like most websites, LinkedIn uses cookies and analytics tools to track visitors. These persistent identifiers can be used to connect your browsing across multiple sessions.
So while your connections may not see what you are doing, LinkedIn itself will still have ways of knowing exactly what profiles you looked at, what content you spent time on, etc.
Who can see your activity with private mode turned on?
With private mode enabled, here is who can still see some version of your activity on LinkedIn:
- LinkedIn – LinkedIn’s own algorithms, analytics, and moderators will still have access to all of your activity.
- Advertisers – LinkedIn allows advertisers to track user activity for ad targeting and analytics. They may still build profiles on you.
- Some apps and services – Third-party apps with access to LinkedIn’s API may still be able to detect some activity.
- People paying for premium accounts – Some premium account holders, like recruiters, may still be able to see limited activity.
So governments, advertisers, LinkedIn premium users, and others may still have some visibility into your activity on LinkedIn while in private mode.
Can your employer see your private activity?
In some cases, yes. If you are browsing LinkedIn on a work device or network, your employer may have tracking tools or network visibility that allows them to see your full activity on LinkedIn, even with private browsing enabled.
Things your employer may be able to see include:
- Websites you visit
- Company pages you view
- Employee profiles you look at
- Jobs you click on or apply to
To browse LinkedIn completely privately from an employer, you would need to use a personal device on a personal internet connection without any company tracking tools or software installed.
Does private mode work on mobile?
Yes, you can enable private mode in the LinkedIn mobile app as well. The same limitations apply on mobile – your activity is hidden from your connections but not from LinkedIn itself.
One extra note for mobile – your mobile carrier may also be able to see your web activity, so they could have visibility into your browsing on LinkedIn mobile app if they choose to look.
Should you use private mode on LinkedIn?
Here are some pros and cons of using LinkedIn’s private mode:
Pros:
- Lets you research people and companies discreetly
- Prevents connections from knowing you are browsing
- Can be useful if looking at job opportunities while employed
Cons:
- Does not make you completely anonymous
- LinkedIn still collects data on your activity
- Employers may still be able to monitor your activity
In general, private mode is most useful if you want to browse LinkedIn without connections knowing, and don’t want to be indicated as recently active. But it does not make your activity completely private from LinkedIn itself.
Tips for increasing privacy on LinkedIn
If you want to maintain more privacy while using LinkedIn, here are some additional tips beyond just enabling private mode:
- Use a personal device not associated with your company
- Don’t sign into other company apps like email or chat
- Use a VPN or proxy service to mask your IP address
- Clear cookies frequently and don’t stay signed in to LinkedIn
- Review and limit ad tracking settings on LinkedIn
Combining private mode with steps like these can help minimize the amount of data LinkedIn and third parties are able to collect on you. But there is no way to be completely anonymous on LinkedIn unless you avoid using it entirely.
Conclusion
LinkedIn’s private mode definitely provides some benefits in letting you be discreet in your browsing and hiding your activity from direct connections. However, it falls short of making you completely private or anonymous on LinkedIn. Your activity is still visible to LinkedIn itself, advertisers, some premium account types, and potentially your employer. So while useful in some situations, private mode should not be relied on if you require full confidentiality. Proceed with caution and use supplementary privacy methods if you really want to mask your identity and activity on LinkedIn.
