LinkedIn · LinkedIn Privacy Policy

Third-Party Data Broker Sourcing

High severity
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What it is

LinkedIn buys or receives data about you from third-party data brokers and other external sources, even if you never gave those companies your information for use on LinkedIn.

Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

LinkedIn can build a detailed profile of you using data you never directly provided to them, sourced from data brokers, advertising networks, and other websites — significantly expanding the scope of data LinkedIn holds about you.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Data about your off-LinkedIn identity, interests, and behaviors — sourced from data brokers and third parties — is combined with your LinkedIn profile data to build a more comprehensive profile used for advertising and other purposes.

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
    Submit a data deletion or right-to-know request via LinkedIn's Privacy Settings to ask LinkedIn to disclose and delete third-party sourced data held about you.

How other platforms handle this

Google Medium

We will share personal information outside of Google if we have a good-faith belief that access, use, preservation, or disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary to: meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request.

Klarna Medium

Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom. Where we transfer your data outside the EEA or UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commissi...

Snapchat Medium

In some cases, we may also use or share your information to cooperate with law enforcement requests, escalate safety issues to law enforcement, industry partners, or others, or comply with our legal obligations. Check out our Transparency Report to learn more.

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This clause could change without notice.

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View original clause language
We receive data about you when you or others use our Services. For example, we receive data about your visits and interactions with services provided by our affiliates and others on the internet, including receiving information from third parties about you for use in our Services.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: GDPR Art. 14 requires that where data is not obtained directly from the data subject, controllers must provide notice within a reasonable period (at most one month). Art. 6(1)(f) legitimate interests must be assessed for third-party sourced data. CCPA §1798.100 and §1798.110 give California residents the right to know the sources from which their data was collected. FTC guidance on data broker practices (2014 FTC Data Broker Report) establishes industry expectations. The FTC and state AGs have enforcement authority.

Full compliance analysis

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

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC regulates data broker practices and has enforcement authority over unfair or deceptive data collection and sourcing under FTC Act Section 5.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    State Attorneys General in California, Virginia, Colorado, and other states enforce consumer rights to know the sources of their personal data under state privacy laws.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

BIPA
Illinois, USA
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
COPPA
United States Federal
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
DMA
European Union
FCRA
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
GLBA
United States Federal
HIPAA
United States Federal
UK GDPR
United Kingdom

Provision details

Document information
Document
LinkedIn Privacy Policy
Entity
LinkedIn
Document last updated
April 29, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 15, 2026
Last verified
April 9, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-002590
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-002590
Captured: 2026-03-15 11:50:43 UTC | SHA-256: a6ed56ddfd95f5dc…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/linkedin/linkedin-privacy-policy/third-party-data-broker-sourcing/
Accessed: May 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Related Analysis

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does LinkedIn's Third-Party Data Broker Sourcing clause do?

LinkedIn can build a detailed profile of you using data you never directly provided to them, sourced from data brokers, advertising networks, and other websites — significantly expanding the scope of data LinkedIn holds about you.

How does this clause affect you?

Data about your off-LinkedIn identity, interests, and behaviors — sourced from data brokers and third parties — is combined with your LinkedIn profile data to build a more comprehensive profile used for advertising and other purposes.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with LinkedIn?

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