Data, privacy, and ethics may not always be top of mind for users when browsing the web. The truth is, these privacy laws are here to protect us online, yet most of us don’t read the fine print. When signing up for an online account or even just visiting a new website, most of us just agree to the terms or the cookie pop-up in order to just get past it. What makes this topic so important is that most companies struggle to write these terms in relation to their business. While the laws state how companies handle personal data in advertising, it gives business leeway in how they implement those rules. So, consumers are finding it harder and harder to understand what data is being collected about them, how it’s being used, and how to opt-out of these terms.   

One part of this complicated puzzle is that these laws affect social media marketing. Facebook advertising in particular, uses re-marketing ads. This is when data is collected about you (like the sites you visited) and when you log into Facebook, you will see specifically targeted ads about the site or product you just looked up. But this very typical marketing trend isn’t always on par with the GDPR laws about data, privacy, and ethics. What makes this even more confusing is that each social platform has its own unique set of terms. 

These laws, like the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), make sure companies don’t collect or process data from users without consent. Meaning, visitors to websites must opt-in to accept the privacy terms and be used in analytics. The CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) impacts digital advertising. They control ad personalization, give users rights, and force companies to be transparent in data collection.  

LinkedIn’s privacy policy, for example, claims to be transparent with the data they collect and who they share it with. Their policy collects the basics: your name, email, mobile number, and location. If you register for their premium services, they also will know your credit and billing info. Seems like the typical stuff. But as I continued reading the fine print, they collect much more about you. Information like your education and workplace, your photo, and your endorsements. Any additional information you choose to share with them; helps you get more from LinkedIn services. Like getting in touch with recruiters and business opportunities. In some cases, you can also link your personal calendar to LinkedIn.   

Your personal data is also collected when you post, fill out any form on their site, respond to a survey, or fill out a job application. They even receive data from their affiliate company- Microsoft, which includes email contacts. To me, this feels too invasive, especially when they collect this info from not just members, but visitors.  

How LinkedIn uses your data is also worth looking into. It seems they use data to improve and develop services and content. Services like connecting you with others and providing relevant business opportunities, and news. Your data will also help train their AI bots (a current legal issue LinkedIn has been dealing with lately). They seem to store your data and then show it to relevant recruiters who are looking for candidates with your credentials. This may be helpful if you’re looking for a job, but otherwise it just means more spam mail. This data collection helps us find friends with similar skills and people within the same industry- something LinkedIn does better than other social media sites. Luckily, they clarify that all of this demographic information is collected, but not in a way where it can identify us. So, while it’s used in analytics, we truly become just a number online.   

It’s good to note that users have some control over the sharing of all this information. You can of course control the privacy and visibility of your profile, your connections, and anything you post. You can also opt out of sharing your data for personalized ads and AI training, under their data privacy setting. You can ask the company to even stop using your data completely. Thought that requires an email and getting in touch with a customer service representative. Thankfully, they don’t share data with third party sites, but as mentioned previously, Microsoft does own LinkedIn, so it should be assumed that Microsoft is using and seeing your data too.  

Unfortunately, LinkedIn’s data collection and fine print isn’t the most transparent. One concern I read about was them violating the Video Privacy Protection Act. It explained that in one case, LinkedIn Learning shared learning history and identifiable information with Meta. This goes against LinkedIn’s rule of not sharing data with third parties, especially information that can identify someone. While this case is currently ongoing, it does seem like LinkedIn has a history of users being bamboozled over privacy laws. While the company claims they follow all the rules, users feel that the fine print is misleading, causing many lawsuits about scraping data and using it improperly. 

Since LinkedIn follows GDPR & CCPA laws, you can opt out of sharing data as soon as you create an account on the platform and can change these settings any time if you already have an account. As a consumer, both laws are here to protect us on this site and many others. Even if we opt-in to sharing our data, rest assured there are limits. The CCPA helps eliminate personalized, targeted ads based on previous web activity, and the GDPR helps you remain anonymous during data collection by using pseudonyms instead of your name or ID number.  

As seen by the number of lawsuits LinkedIn has been involved in, they need a better balance between marketing and privacy practices. I think they should write a more transparent, easier to understand policy. Instead of industry jargon, word it plainly. I personally found the document to be lengthy, yet some sections were too short and could have used more detail. Even sending current users an updated policy every year can help us remember that these companies still receive a lot of data about us and our habits. I would also like to know what they share with Microsoft and what Microsoft shares with them. This would help LinkedIn gain more trust from new and current users, while also still capturing the necessary data that helps make the platform useful during job hunting and connecting.  

To all of you who browse the internet and check social media…remember to take some time to actually read these policies to see how they affect you. Each company and site you visit will have one and you should decide what data you allow these large corporations to collect, before clicking around. Platforms like LinkedIn often sit somewhere in-between being incredibly useful for job seekers, while also quietly gathering vast amounts of personal data to target you better. As consumers, it’s our job to make sure we stay proactive and informed about these ever-changing policies. So that we can create a safer, transparent online world for everyone.