LinkedIn beats "BrowserGate" lawsuits over scanning users' Chrome extensions
A US judge dismissed class-action lawsuits against LinkedIn regarding the scanning of browser extensions, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate a concrete privacy violation. The court noted that users voluntarily expose data to websites through browser extensions.
Why it matters
This ruling sets a precedent for how courts interpret data privacy and standing in cases involving browser-based data collection practices.
Not quite Watergate LinkedIn beats “BrowserGate” lawsuits over scanning users’ Chrome extensions Judge tosses lawsuits, says plaintiffs didn’t allege any real privacy violation.
7 LinkedIn headquarters in Sunnyvale, California in February 2020. Credit: Getty Images LinkedIn headquarters in Sunnyvale, California in February 2020. Credit: Getty Images Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav LinkedIn beat two lawsuits over its practice of scanning users’ browser extensions, with a judge granting the Microsoft subsidiary’s motion to dismiss the cases. The users who sued LinkedIn failed to adequately allege that they have standing to sue because neither asserted that they “had browser extensions installed that conveyed private information to LinkedIn,” ruled Judge Vince Chhabria in US District Court for the Northern District of California.
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