1 source May 23
LinkedIn Faces Class-Action Lawsuits Over Browser Extension Scanning
Two class-action lawsuits filed in California accuse LinkedIn of secretly scanning users' browser extensions to collect data without consent. The suits follow a research project called BrowserGate by Fairlinked eV, which found LinkedIn's JavaScript code detected thousands of installed extensions.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
Why it matters
The lawsuits test whether LinkedIn's extension scanning, which it says is for abuse detection, violates privacy laws when the data could reveal sensitive personal information.
Key Facts
- Two class-action lawsuits filed in California accuse LinkedIn of secretly scanning users' browser extensions to collect data without consent.
- The lawsuits follow the BrowserGate research project by Fairlinked eV, which analyzed 6,222 browser extensions and found LinkedIn's JavaScript code detected thousands of installed extensions.
- Fairlinked eV claims LinkedIn's JavaScript code sent requests to check for internal files of specific extensions, potentially revealing religion, politics, or health status.
- LinkedIn argues the scanning is disclosed in its privacy policy and is done to block scraping tools.
- LinkedIn questions Fairlinked eV's motives, noting a board member previously sued LinkedIn over account restrictions and lost.
LinkedIn argues the scanning is disclosed in its privacy policy and done to block scraping tools.
The lawsuits were triggered by BrowserGate, a research project from Fairlinked eV that analyzed 6,222 browser extensions. The group claims LinkedIn's JavaScript code sent requests to check for internal files of specific extensions, letting the platform infer religion, politics, or health status from extension data. LinkedIn counters that the scanning is disclosed in its privacy policy and targets extensions used for web scraping. It also questions Fairlinked eV's motives, noting a board member previously sued LinkedIn over account restrictions and lost.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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Sources
- GIGAZINE LinkedInがブラウザ拡張機能のスキャンをめぐり集団訴訟に直面