LinkedIn · LinkedIn Privacy Policy

Inferred and Sensitive Attribute Data Collection

High severity
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What it is

We infer your likely political views from data you provide and your activity on our Services, such as content you engage with or create... We collect data about you when you provide, post or upload it to our Services, such as when you fill out a form, respond to a survey, or submit a resume... This includes information you provide to us about others (such as their email address when you share content or their information when you import your address book).

Why it matters

Inferred sensitive attributes like political views are treated as special category data under GDPR and carry heightened legal protections, yet LinkedIn derives and stores these without requiring explicit consent for this specific purpose.

Consumer impact

LinkedIn collects an extensive range of personal data including professional history, inferred attributes, device signals, precise location, and communications metadata, and uses this data for targeted advertising, AI model training, and sharing across the Microsoft corporate family. Users' profile content and activity data may be used to train LinkedIn's generative AI features without affirmative opt-in consent, representing a significant expansion of data use beyond what many users would reasonably expect from a professional networking platform. You can limit this by visiting linkedin.com/psettings/privacy to opt out of AI training data use and adjust advertising and data sharing preferences.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Delete Your Data
    In LinkedIn Settings, go to 'Data Privacy' and use 'Request data deletion' or submit a data subject access request to see what inferences LinkedIn holds about you, then request deletion of sensitive inferred data.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    FTC has authority over collection of sensitive consumer data including inferred political views under FTC Act Section 5 and its commercial surveillance enforcement framework.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
LinkedIn Privacy Policy
Entity
LinkedIn
Document last updated
March 24, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 15, 2026
Last verified
April 4, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002150
Document ID
CA-D-00090
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
a6ed56ddfd95f5dcbd9a71f72d858babb9dc7b2ea953fabaf234034f1872f036
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: LinkedIn | Document: LinkedIn Privacy Policy | Record: CA-P-002150
Captured: 2026-03-15 11:50:43 UTC | SHA-256: a6ed56ddfd95f5dc…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/linkedin/linkedin-privacy-policy/inferred-and-sensitive-attribute-data-collection/
Accessed: April 6, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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