# Has LinkedIn been scraping the Dope? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 20, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639 "2016-01-20T00:20:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/1 "2016-01-20T00:20:58Z")
LinkedIn has just matched me up with one Doper I know (hi _N_!) to whom I have responded, and someone with a _very interesting_ job title from Detroit has been viewing my profile there. Quite why _TD_ would be viewing my profile there normally I do not know. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/2 "2016-01-20T05:27:35Z")
Well, it seems plausible. LinkedIn has established a reputation of allegedly doing some seriously sleazy marketing tricks, including scraping users’ e-mail contacts and spamming them. (Oh, yes, they ask for the user’s consent first, but the claim is they do various things to make it hard for a user to _not_ consent.) Also, they are alleged to sell a conflict of interest by allowing users to pay extra to put their profiles at the top of searches by employers, while simultaneously allowing employers to pay a premium for searches for the profiles best matching their requirements. See the conflict there? I think we had a thread about this a year or so ago, in which I may have posted links to a number of news articles about that. Hang tight a bit, I’ll see if I can dig it up . . . ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/3 "2016-01-20T05:37:38Z")
I’m having trouble understanding the mechanism for how this would even work. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/4 "2016-01-20T05:52:18Z")
Okay, here’s some background. (1) [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=704941) from October 2013. See, in particular, Posts 4 and 5. > [@Security, or breach of security?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-or-breach-of-security/671298/4): > > LinkedIn is accused of doing this, or something similar. They badger users to give their e-mail addresses _and passwords_ :eek: then harvest all your contacts from your e-mail account. Then send invitations _in your name_ to all your contacts, to come and join LinkedIn. (I myself have received some of these.) > > HuffPo article: [LinkedIn Sued For ‘Hacking’ Users’ Email Accounts To Spam Friends](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/20/linkedin-sued-hacking-emails-spam_n_3963195.html) > > Bloomberg article: [LinkedIn Customers Allege Company Hacked E-Mail Addresses](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-20/linkedin-customers-say-company-hacked-their-e-mail-address-books.html) > > The Independent article: [Stranger danger? LinkedIn denies ‘hack and spam’ attacks on members in marketing tussle](http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/stranger-danger-linkedin-denies-hack-and-spam-attacks-on-members-in-marketing-tussle-8836995.html) (2) [How do I prevent LinkedIn from spamming everyone in my address book?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=624283) from September 2011. Pit-worthy ranting about LinkedIn doing shit like this, but also glowing testimonials from posters who found jobs or whatever there. (3) [Why I Hate Linkedin…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=691688) from May 2013. More ranting about the spamming LinkedIn does. (4) [What’s the deal with LinkedIn?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737750) from October 2014. See posts 9, 18, and 31 in particular for relevant remarks and more links to articles about it. ETA: > [@What's the deal with LinkedIn?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-linkedin/701729/9): > > The LinkedIn interface is [designed to encourage that error](https://getsatisfaction.com/linkedin/topics/why_does_linkedin_think_its_ok_to_trick_me_into_spamming_my_entire_gmail_address_book), and they’ve been sued for [allegedly accessing user contacts to spam them with invites](https://gigaom.com/2013/09/21/linkedin-is-breaking-into-user-emails-spamming-contacts-lawsuit/). Hope that all or some of the above links are still live. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/5 "2016-01-21T02:31:28Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > … and someone with a _very interesting_ job title from Detroit has been viewing my profile there. Is it **Kinkyescort**? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/6 "2016-01-21T02:56:43Z")
My SDMB email account is only used with the SDMB. The email account is not used for anything else. I do the same with LinkedIn, my online bill-paying accounts, banking, pleasure, etc. Yes, that means I have maybe two dozen email accounts (each with their own password, too). I take privacy and security quite seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/7 "2016-01-21T03:04:00Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Is it **Kinkyescort**? _splort!_ ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/8 "2016-01-21T09:46:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Is it **Kinkyescort**? Hehehe! I don’t know TD’s SDMB moniker but TD works for the US government in a most interesting capacity. If TD is a Doper, he’ll appreciate me leaving it at that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/9 "2016-01-21T17:26:38Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > _splort!_ She’ll be billing you for that! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/10 "2016-01-28T17:08:15Z")
That would explain a few “You May Knows” I got recently. Though it’s more likely they are scraping your Facebook friends - are you friends with any Dopers? A member of the SDMB group? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-linkedin-been-scraping-the-dope/743639/11 "2016-01-28T23:08:14Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Though it’s more likely they are scraping your Facebook friends - are you friends with any Dopers? I am Facebook friends with one, and Linkedin hasn’t suggested her. > [@](#): > > A member of the SDMB group? I don’t believe I’m a member of either group.