LinkedIn · LinkedIn Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Member Data Used for Recruitment and Business Targeting by Third Parties

Medium severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Unique · 0 of 325 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

LinkedIn states that your profile information and activity may be visible to recruiters, employers, and other users or visitors, depending on the privacy settings you have configured.

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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The default visibility of profile data to third parties including recruiters and employers means that professional and personal information shared on LinkedIn may be accessed and used by organizations for hiring, background assessment, or commercial purposes unless settings are actively restricted.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Profile data including work history, education, skills, and endorsements may be visible to and used by recruiters and employers by default. Members can manage profile visibility through LinkedIn's Privacy Settings at linkedin.com/psettings/privacy.

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.
  • Opt Out of Arbitration
    Log in to LinkedIn and visit linkedin.com/psettings/privacy to review and adjust your profile visibility settings, including who can see your profile and activity.

Cross-platform context

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Our Services allow members and visitors to explore career and business opportunities, connect with professionals, find employees, and find people for various professional opportunities. Your profile information and activity on our Services may be visible to recruiters, employers, and other members or visitors depending on your privacy settings.

— Excerpt from LinkedIn's LinkedIn Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision implicates GDPR principles of purpose limitation and data minimization for EU users, and CCPA provisions on the use of publicly available personal information for California residents. Employment-related data use may also engage sector-specific guidance from data protection authorities regarding automated profiling for recruitment purposes. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low to medium. Profile visibility to recruiters and employers is a core and disclosed function of the LinkedIn platform, but members may not fully appreciate the scope of third-party access to their professional and personal data absent active privacy setting management. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU/EEA users have GDPR rights to object to processing based on legitimate interests, which may apply to certain recruitment-related uses of profile data. Illinois and other U.S. states with biometric or sensitive data laws should monitor whether profile verification features engage additional obligations. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Employers and recruiters using LinkedIn's talent acquisition tools should ensure their use of member profile data complies with applicable employment privacy laws and data minimization obligations, particularly in the EU. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: HR and talent acquisition teams using LinkedIn data for hiring decisions should assess whether their use of LinkedIn profile data for automated screening or profiling requires a lawful basis assessment or data protection impact assessment under GDPR.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has authority over unfair or deceptive practices in consumer data visibility and commercial data use for profiling purposes.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
LinkedIn Privacy Policy
Entity
LinkedIn
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 28, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-011352
Document ID
CA-D-00090
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
ce4e84ffc9e0fc98014761639e090fc61c45e8e9f63dbb4873f713aea4017044
Analysis generated
April 28, 2026 09:45 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: LinkedIn
Document: LinkedIn Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-011352
Captured: 2026-04-28 09:45:05 UTC
SHA-256: ce4e84ffc9e0fc98…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/linkedin/linkedin-privacy-policy/member-data-used-for-recruitment-and-business-targeting-by-third-parties/
Accessed: May 13, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does LinkedIn's Member Data Used for Recruitment and Business Targeting by Third Parties clause do?

The default visibility of profile data to third parties including recruiters and employers means that professional and personal information shared on LinkedIn may be accessed and used by organizations for hiring, background assessment, or commercial purposes unless settings are actively restricted.

How does this clause affect you?

Profile data including work history, education, skills, and endorsements may be visible to and used by recruiters and employers by default. Members can manage profile visibility through LinkedIn's Privacy Settings at linkedin.com/psettings/privacy.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with LinkedIn?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by LinkedIn.