LinkedIn Accused of Secretly Checking Devices for Installed Applications – Cyber Press

LinkedIn Accused of Secretly Checking Devices Security researchers have uncovered a massive covert surveillance operation reportedly run by Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. According to a new investigation named BrowserGate by the commercial user association Fairlinked e.V., LinkedIn executes hidden code on user devices to scan for installed software and browser extensions. This campaign affects a large portion of the platform’s one billion global users. Every time a user visits the website, this undocumented script secretly searches the local machine without asking for consent or notifying the user. Because LinkedIn ties this telemetry data to real names, job titles, and current employers, the scanning exposes the exact software stacks used by identified professionals. Millions of companies are reportedly impacted by this continuous, daily scanning. Privacy Breaches and Data Theft The covert scanning operation crosses several strict privacy boundaries by collecting highly sensitive personal information. Under European Union law, much of this collected data falls under prohibited categories that require explicit consent. The BrowserGate report highlights several alarming violations: The hidden code detects browser extensions related to religious beliefs, political orientations, and neurodivergent accessibility aids. LinkedIn actively tracks 509 specific job search tools, revealing to the platform exactly who is secretly looking for new
Read More