LinkedIn’s private mode allows users to browse the platform anonymously. When private mode is enabled, your profile and activity on LinkedIn are hidden from other members. This can be useful if you want to research people or companies without notifying your connections that you viewed their profiles. Here’s an overview of how private mode works and what LinkedIn looks like when browsing anonymously.
Enabling Private Mode
Private mode is easy to enable on both desktop and mobile. On desktop, simply click your profile icon at the top right of the screen and select “Private mode”. This will immediately put your account into private browsing. On mobile, tap your profile icon and choose “Turn on private mode”.
Once enabled, you’ll see a dark banner at the top of your LinkedIn feed confirming you’re in private mode. The banner will persist as you navigate around LinkedIn to remind you your activity is hidden. To turn private mode off, just repeat the steps above and choose “Turn off private mode”.
Browsing Anonymously
When private mode is on, your identity and activity are completely anonymous to other members. Here’s what the LinkedIn experience looks like while browsing privately:
– Your profile photo, name, headline, and other profile details are hidden from other members. Your profile appears as “Private Member” rather than your name.
– You can view profiles of other members, but they will not receive notifications that you viewed their profile.
– You can send connection requests, but the other member will not know you did so until after you turn private mode off.
– You won’t appear in “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” lists of other members while browsing anonymously.
– Your activity will not be visible to other members in the feed. Liking or commenting on posts will not notify the original poster that you engaged.
– Searching for people, jobs, companies, etc. will work normally, but your search activity will not be visible to others.
– Premium paid account features like InMail will function as normal. However, your identity will still be hidden when communicating with premium features.
Limitations of Private Mode
While private mode allows anonymous browsing, there are some limitations:
– You cannot make posts, share articles, or update your profile while in private mode. These profile-related actions are disabled.
– Some notifications, messages, and invitations may still reveal your identity even while browsing privately. For full anonymity, it’s best not to engage with others.
– Participating in groups and conversations will notify the admin and other members of your engagement. Your identity will be displayed.
– Paid services will still charge your account as normal. Browsing privately does not disable any premium features you’ve paid for.
– Turning private mode off will immediately reveal your identity and activity during the private session.
Use Cases for Private Mode
Here are some common scenarios where LinkedIn users take advantage of private browsing:
– Researching a company you may want to work for someday without signaling your interest to your network connections.
– Viewing the profiles of people you met at an event without revealing you looked them up later.
– Discovering connections in common with someone you just met without notifying those connections.
– Looking up previous employers or old coworkers without them knowing you searched for them.
– Checking out the profile of someone you may want to date without alerting them.
– Seeing who viewed your profile recently without your profile showing up in their viewer list.
Pros of Browsing in Private Mode
Some key benefits of using LinkedIn’s private mode include:
– True anonymity. Your identity and activity are completely hidden from others.
– Ability to research without leaving a footprint. You can search and browse as much as you want without any notifications.
– Privacy. You control what you share and who knows about your activity.
– No disruptions. You can focus just on consuming content without pings and notifications.
– No misinterpretations. People won’t assume interest or make incorrect judgments based on your browsing.
Cons of Private Mode
The limitations of private browsing on LinkedIn include:
– No posting allowed. You cannot actively engage with content or connections while anonymous.
– Temporary anonymity. Your activity is only hidden until you disable private mode.
– Limited notifications. Some notifications will still reveal your identity even while browsing privately.
– No full profile access. You can only view a limited version of profiles while in private mode.
– Paid services still active. You’ll still be billed for any premium services used while browsing privately.
– Can seem suspicious. Some people may find private browsing on a social network site concerning.
Who May Want to Avoid Private Mode
While private browsing has clear benefits in many scenarios, some LinkedIn members may want to avoid turning on private mode:
– Active networkers who engage frequently. Posting and commenting are disabled in private mode.
– Job seekers open to opportunities. Being anonymous stops recruiters from finding you.
– Power users who rely on notifications. Many notifications are suppressed while browsing privately.
– Premium subscribers. The limitations may not justify paying for premium services you can’t fully utilize anonymously.
– Those concerned about optics. Some people may view private browsing as shady or sneaky behavior.
– Anyone needing full profile access. Private mode only shows a limited profile snapshot.
– Members who value transparency. For those who nothing to hide, private mode may seem unnecessary.
How to Be Ethical While Browsing in Private Mode
Because private browsing could be misused, it’s important to keep some ethical considerations in mind:
– Don’t use private mode to gain an unfair advantage over others. For example, don’t leverage someone’s connections without their consent.
– Be judicious in viewing profiles. Repeatedly looking up someone could cross privacy boundaries.
– Remember activity is only temporarily anonymous. Don’t say or do anything you wouldn’t want publicly known later.
– Disable private mode if messaging someone directly. Identity should be revealed when engaging directly.
– Avoid making business decisions based solely on private browsing data. Use it as an input, not determining factor.
– Keep private mode disabled by default. Only turn it on purposefully for specific, time-bound scenarios.
– Let connections know if you engaged anonymously. Disclose if you looked at their profile or sent a request.
– Don’t assume others are browsing anonymously. Status indicators and design cues make it fairly obvious.
Best Practices for Using Private Mode
To get the most benefit from LinkedIn’s private browsing feature, keep these tips in mind:
– Use it strategically for focused research, not casual browsing. Turn it on when you have a specific goal.
– Be aware private mode isn’t 100% anonymous. Some notifications can still reveal your identity.
– Avoid liking, commenting, messaging, or posting at all. This defeats the purpose of browsing privately.
– Double check you enabled private mode if you want full anonymity. It’s easy to forget to turn it on.
– Disable private mode immediately after concluding your research. Don’t stay anonymous longer than needed.
– Use private mode’s limitations to your benefit. Remove distractions and focus just on consuming content.
– Leverage private mode for learning, not lurking. Dig into profiles and content but avoid invading privacy.
– View private browsing as a tool, not a hiding place. Use it ethically and strategically.
The Future of Private Mode on LinkedIn
Looking ahead, we can expect private browsing on LinkedIn to evolve in the following ways:
– Wider availability. Private mode may expand from premium to free accounts so all members can use it.
– Enhanced anonymity. Identifying details may be stripped even from notifications sent while in private mode.
– More nuanced settings. Users may be able to customize exactly which information is hidden versus visible.
– Added protections. Safeguards could prevent misuse of private browsing for stalking, harassment, etc.
– Interface indicators. More prominent signals in the interface could indicate when you have private mode enabled.
– Improved recommendations. Suggested content may adapt so private browsing doesn’t affect relevance.
– Usage insights. Data on time spent anonymous could reveal how and when members take advantage of private mode.
– Reminders to disable. LinkedIn may automatically prompt you to turn private mode off once you’re done browsing anonymously.
Key Takeaways
A few core things to remember about LinkedIn’s private browsing feature:
– It hides your identity and activity from other members’ views. You can research anonymously.
– Limitations include inability to post and partial notifications. Paid services still function normally.
– Use cases range from innocuous research to activities some may view as sneaky.
– Private mode is easy to enable and disable. Just a couple quick clicks or taps.
– Approach private browsing ethically. Don’t invade privacy or gain unfair advantage.
– Keep it disabled by default and activate purposefully for focused, time-bound research scenarios.
Conclusion
LinkedIn private mode allows discreet browsing which can be either innocuous or unethical depending on the circumstance. Approach use of this feature thoughtfully. Consider both its advantages like anonymity and limitations like inability to actively engage. Private mode is a powerful tool if leveraged strategically for specific research goals without invading privacy. But it’s not a cloak of invisibility to hide behind. Keep usage ethical and selective.
