While LinkedIn has better terms than competitors, these provisions still warrant attention.
LinkedIn collects extensive professional data including employment history, skills, salary information, and professional connections. This data is monetized through recruiter tools and advertising.
"We collect information you provide to us, information from third parties, and information that is automatically collected...including your job history, education, skills, endorsements, recommendations."
LinkedIn Privacy Policy, Information We Collect
LinkedIn claims a worldwide, royalty-free license to your content that can be sublicensed. Your posts, articles, and comments can be used by LinkedIn and its partners.
"You grant LinkedIn a nonexclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable license to use, copy, modify, distribute, publish, and process information and content that you provide."
LinkedIn User Agreement, License to LinkedIn
LinkedIn/Microsoft uses your content to train AI models including Copilot. Unlike some competitors, LinkedIn provides some disclosure and opt-out mechanisms, though they're not prominent.
"We may use information about you to train and improve AI models...You can manage some AI-related preferences in your settings."
LinkedIn Privacy Policy, How We Use Your Information
Your professional data is shared with recruiters, advertisers, and enterprise customers. LinkedIn's business model relies on monetizing your career information.
"We share your data with our affiliates, corporate customers using our services like Recruiter and Sales Navigator, and advertising partners."
LinkedIn Privacy Policy, How We Share Information
As a Microsoft subsidiary, LinkedIn data may be combined with other Microsoft services. Your professional identity can be linked across Outlook, Teams, and Microsoft 365.
"We may combine information internally across the different LinkedIn services and Microsoft products."
LinkedIn Privacy Policy, Microsoft Integration
Many useful features (InMail, seeing who viewed your profile, advanced search) are paywalled. Free users have increasingly limited functionality, pushing toward subscriptions.
"Certain features are available only to Premium subscribers. LinkedIn may change available features at any time."
LinkedIn User Agreement, Paid Services
LinkedIn restricts how many connection requests you can send and may limit accounts that send too many. Heavy networkers can face restrictions without clear thresholds.
"We may limit your ability to connect with other members if we believe your conduct violates our Professional Community Policies."
LinkedIn User Agreement, Your Account
LinkedIn's Professional Community Policies are enforced algorithmically with some human review. Political content and controversial topics may be de-prioritized without notice.
"We may remove content that violates our policies or that we determine is harmful to the professional community."
LinkedIn Professional Community Policies
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