The policy prohibits all affiliate advertising on the LinkedIn platform and additionally requires LinkedIn's prior authorization for publishers seeking to include in-stream video ads within sponsored content.
This analysis describes what LinkedIn's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This provision creates a categorical prohibition on affiliate advertising that affects performance marketers, affiliate networks, and publishers whose business model depends on commission-based advertising placements. The separate restriction on in-stream video ads within sponsored content establishes a distinct authorization requirement for publisher monetization arrangements.
This provision establishes that affiliate advertising is not permitted on the LinkedIn platform, and that publishers running sponsored content must obtain prior authorization before including in-stream video ads. Advertisers and publishers operating affiliate or performance marketing programs cannot use LinkedIn's advertising system for those purposes under these terms.
How other platforms handle this
You may not automatedly crawl or query the Services for any purpose or by any means (including, without limitation, screen and database scraping, spiders, robots, crawlers and any other automated activity with the purpose of obtaining information from the Services) unless you have received prior exp...
relate to transactions involving (f) the promotion of hate, violence, racial or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory or the financial exploitation of a crime... (i) involve offering or receiving payments for the purpose of bribery or corruption.
You must not, and must not allow others to: Facilitate illegal or harmful activity through the End User Services; Cause harm to us or others through the End User Services;
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"Ads related to affiliate advertising are prohibited. Publishers may not run in-stream video ads within their sponsored content without LinkedIn's prior authorization.— Excerpt from LinkedIn's LinkedIn Advertising Policies
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The FTC Act and FTC Endorsement Guides require disclosure of material connections in affiliate and sponsored content arrangements. The affiliate advertising prohibition in this policy does not displace FTC disclosure obligations that apply to any content published on LinkedIn by advertisers or influencers. The prohibition applies to ad placements and does not directly address organic content disclosure requirements. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. Advertisers and agencies operating performance marketing or affiliate programs must ensure LinkedIn is excluded from affiliate channel configurations. Failure to do so may result in ad rejection or account suspension. The in-stream video authorization requirement for publishers creates an additional operational gatekeeping mechanism whose approval criteria are not specified in this document. JURISDICTION FLAGS: The prohibition applies platform-wide and is not jurisdiction-specific. The practical impact is most significant for performance marketing operations in markets where affiliate advertising is a primary digital channel, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Affiliate network agreements should explicitly exclude LinkedIn from approved publisher lists. Managed service contracts for media buying should confirm that LinkedIn campaigns are not configured with affiliate tracking parameters or commission-based payment structures that would implicate this prohibition. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance review of campaign tracking configurations should confirm the absence of affiliate network parameters in LinkedIn ad URLs. Publishers with sponsored content arrangements involving video should initiate the prior authorization process with LinkedIn before including in-stream video units.
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This provision creates a categorical prohibition on affiliate advertising that affects performance marketers, affiliate networks, and publishers whose business model depends on commission-based advertising placements. The separate restriction on in-stream video ads within sponsored content establishes a distinct authorization requirement for publisher monetization arrangements.
This provision establishes that affiliate advertising is not permitted on the LinkedIn platform, and that publishers running sponsored content must obtain prior authorization before including in-stream video ads. Advertisers and publishers operating affiliate or performance marketing programs cannot use LinkedIn's advertising system for those purposes under these terms.
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