LinkedIn wins court order blocking mass scraping of user data
A federal judge has finalized a settlement requiring two software firms to stop scraping LinkedIn user data and delete previously collected information. This legal victory marks a significant step for LinkedIn in its ongoing battle against unauthorized data harvesting.
Why it matters
The ruling reinforces data privacy rights and sets a precedent for how social media platforms can protect user information from third-party scrapers.
A California federal judge on Thursday finalized a deal between LinkedIn and two software companies that requires the firms to stop scraping user data on a mass scale.
The agreement between LinkedIn, ProAPIs and joint business operator Netswift also requires the firms to stop selling and transferring the data, no longer access LinkedIn through fake accounts and delete the data that was scraped, according to a senior LinkedIn executive.
Sarah Wight, who oversees litigation and enforcement for the tech giant, called the outcome an important triumph in a Thursday LinkedIn post .
“Your profile is yours,” Wight said. “What you choose to share on LinkedIn is meant for the professional community you're building, not for an outside company to scrape and use in ways you never agreed to.”
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