We have revised our Privacy Policy as of June 16, 2011. The changes summarized here provide more detail and clarification on our collection and use of personal data so that you my have a clearer understanding of how the data you provide to LinkedIn is used. We at LinkedIn work hard to gain and retain your trust, and believe our Privacy Policy reflects the reasonable expectations of our users. We provide this summary of changes to facilitate your review and understanding of LinkedIn’s present privacy policies and practices. However, you should read the full privacy policy, as you will be bound by its terms when you view, access or otherwise use LinkedIn.
Following are highlights of the revisions to the privacy policy:
Please note that this summary only explains the parts of our Privacy Policy that contain changes to the content of the document.
Privacy Policy Highlights: We added details to provide you with a more complete overview of our information collection and use practices. We also added links to our Settings page and to specific settings in order to provide better access to your LinkedIn account controls, and also added details about TRUSTe’s dispute resolution services.
Introduction: We added a reference to LinkedIn’s “Profile Stats” which, if you opt-in, will show you who has viewed your profile. We also added an explanation of the notice LinkedIn will provide when we update our User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
Section 1. Personal information collected: We added additional descriptions of the LinkedIn services.
Section 1.A. Registration: We restate that without a minimal amount of information about you (your name, email address, country, and password) we cannot provision you a LinkedIn account. Additionally, we explain that we request other information about you to provide you a better, more customized LinkedIn experience and that the Privacy Policy is incorporated by reference in to LinkedIn’s User Agreement.
Section 1.B. Profile Information: We added detail related to how you can add information to your profile that will allow you to derive greater benefit from LinkedIn. We also point to the sections of the Privacy Policy that allow you to learn more about LinkedIn’s advertising practices.
Section 1.C. Contacts Information: We added minor clarifying language to this section.
Section 1.D. Customer Service: We added minor clarifying language to this section.
Section 1.E. Using the LinkedIn Site and Applications: We changed this section to more comprehensively explain that we collect information when you use the LinkedIn site and its applications, such as LinkedIn mobile applications or professional plugins.
Section 1.F. Using Third Party Services and Visiting Third Party Sites: We added detail to this section to make clear that we receive information when using your LinkedIn account to access third-party sites or services, including those that embed LinkedIn platform technology like LinkedIn’s professional plugins, and also added an explanation of our practices with regard use, retention, and how our users can opt-out.
Section 1.G. Cookies: We added some detail to this section to explain that LinkedIn may use cookie-equivalent technology (like Macromedia Flash technology) for the limited purpose of improving the security of LinkedIn, but not for advertising. We also clarified that LinkedIn’s enhanced advertising may deliver LinkedIn or third party ads to you on and off LinkedIn.
Section 1.H. Advertising and Web Beacons: We changed this section to better explain that LinkedIn uses ad networks to deliver ads to LinkedIn members both on and off the LinkedIn site using beacon and cookie technology. Further, we updated the instructions to opt-out of enhanced advertising to reflect our new Settings page.
Section 1.I. Log Files, IP Addresses and Information about Your Computer and Mobile Device: We updated this section to more fully explain the information that passes between services when you use the internet, and that LinkedIn may received by virtue of your accessing LinkedIn from your computer or mobile device.
Section 1.J. Rights to Access, Correct and Eliminate Information About You: We added detail to this section to clarify that once you have shared information with others using LinkedIn, it may remain visible to others by virtue of it having been copied or re-shared, even if you request its deletion.
Section 1.K. Data Retention: This section is new and clarifies that LinkedIn will retain your information for so long as your account is active or as needed to provide services, fulfill our legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce this agreement.
Section 2.E. Sharing Information with Third Parties: This section reiterates LinkedIn’s commitment to protect your personally identifiable information, and explains that some of your actions on LinkedIn may result in the display of your information outside of LinkedIn (for example by commenting in an open LinkedIn Group, or if you broadcast your LinkedIn status or share content from LinkedIn to Twitter). We also added the same detail from our User Agreement regarding the circumstances under which LinkedIn could share information pursuant to legal process and other circumstances.
Section 2.F. Developers using LinkedIn Platform Services: We added additional explanation of LinkedIn’s developer program that may be used by third parties to build Platform Applications that may access information about you when you authenticate their access to your LinkedIn account. In addition, this section explains the ability for our users to opt-out of sharing information with third parties by virtue of your connections having installed a Platform Application.
Section 2.K. Advertising and Endorsements on LinkedIn: We added this section to explain that LinkedIn may use you profile picture and name in social advertising shown to your network on LinkedIn. We also explain that social advertising will contain information from you and your connections’ interaction with the LinkedIn site (such as when you recommend a product or service on a company page, follow a company, etc.). We also point you to the Setting where you can control the use of your profile information in LinkedIn’s social advertising.
Section 2.M. Disclosures to Others as the Result of a Change in Control or Sale of LinkedIn Corporation: We modified this section to clarify the change of corporate control situations that might result in disclosure of user information to third parties.
Section 5.B. TRUSTe and Safe Harbor: We modified this section to update the information about TRUSTe.
