LinkedIn · LinkedIn Privacy Policy

Targeted Advertising Based on Inferred Characteristics

High severity
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What it is

We target (and measure the performance of) ads to Members, Visitors and others both on and off our Services directly or through a variety of Partners, using the following data, whether separately or combined: Data from advertising technologies on and off our Services, pixels, ad tags, cookies, and device identifiers; Member-provided information (such as profile, contact information, title and industry); Information inferred from profiles of Members (such as seniority level of members from their job title).

Why it matters

LinkedIn's advertising targeting uses a combination of your stated profile data and inferred characteristics to create an advertising profile, which is shared with advertising partners both on and off the LinkedIn platform.

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.
  • Opt Out of Arbitration
    Go to LinkedIn Settings > Data Privacy > Advertising Data to opt out of LinkedIn using your data for targeted advertising, including off-platform behavioral advertising.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    FTC has authority over deceptive and unfair targeted advertising practices under FTC Act Section 5 and its 2022 commercial surveillance policy statement.
    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-002153
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-002153
Captured: 2026-03-15 11:50:43 UTC | SHA-256: a6ed56ddfd95f5dc…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/linkedin/linkedin-privacy-policy/targeted-advertising-based-on-inferred-characteristics/
Accessed: April 6, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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