Mastodawn

Dirk Reinemann Feb 20

If you're on LinkedIn and are thinking about verifying your account with them, maybe read this first. It walks through LinkedIn's privacy disclosure to identify 17 companies that may receive and process the data you submit, including name, passport photo, selfie, facial geometry, NFC data chip, national ID #, DoB, email, phone number, address, IP address, device type, MAC address, language, geolocation etc. Unsurprisingly, it seems the biggest recipients are US-based AI companies.

https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/

BrianKrebs Feb 21

The CEO of Persona responded to this post, saying they wanted to clarify about the identity verification process. They said:

"The only subprocessors (8) used are: AWS, Confluent, DBT, ElasticSearch, GCP, MongoDB, Sigma Computing, and Snowflake

All biometric personal data is deleted immediately after processing.

All other personal data processed is automatically deleted within 30 days. Data is retained during this period to help users troubleshoot.

No personal data processed is used for AI/model training. Data is explicitly used to confirm your identity.

The subprocessors used do NOT include Anthropic, Groqcloud, or OpenAI. The referenced subprocessor list is the superset of subprocessors used across all customers which is unfortunately misleading - we are updating our documentation to make this clearer going forward (thank you for helping us realize this). Our customers select which products are used which determines which subprocessors are used."

@briankrebs still means data is subject to #CloudAct = incompatible with #GDPR & #BDSG!

@briankrebs And what assurances do they have that Snowflake etc aren't keeping copies? You don't master a cloud supply chain.

@briankrebs this is a big #privacy yikes so i'm tagging them in.

@briankrebs wonder if this is related to those persona leaks since LinkedIn uses persona: https://cybernews.com/privacy/persona-leak-exposes-global-surveillance-capabilities/

https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona/ (source)

@briankrebs it's a Microsoft company. What do you expect?

@briankrebs The minute they said I had to download their app to verify, I was out. I have no social media apps on my phone and have no intentions of changing that for anyone.

John Doe Feb 20

@briankrebs damn. That's a lot of data.

Daniel Beneš Feb 20

@briankrebs Companies dealing with artificial intelligence are fine because their result is the synthesis and distortion of data. Worse off are companies that do not deal with artificial intelligence; they store your data without loss.

Dźwiedziu Feb 20

@briankrebs
Linkedin? Read my lips: 🖕

thelocalstack Feb 20

@briankrebs
Thank you for sharing this, means a lot coming from you. There's more to dig into on the LinkedIn data chain, this was just the surface.

ᛋᛁᚵᛁᛋᛘᚢᚾᛑ ᚾᛁᚾᛃᛅ Feb 20

@briankrebs I would never hire a person who uses LinkedIn.

Cedar Fen Farm Cedar Fen Farm Feb 20

@sigismundninja @briankrebs

Aww, I use it to post political news about the evil government, news about how well green energy is doing, and news about the failing economy. These people deserve to be hit over the head with some real info, too. 😆🤣

Dirty AnCom Feb 20

@sigismundninja @briankrebs I would never hire a person. I'd incorporate them as an equal partner in whatever endeavor I was involved in.

sNOWFLAKE ❄️ iNDUSTRIES Feb 20

@briankrebs will you now delete your linkedin account ?

Laurenz0071 Feb 20

@briankrebs https://www.nolto.social/ "The source code will remain available for anyone who wants to explore it, improve it, fork it or continue the idea."

Nolto - Professional Social Network

A professional social network that runs on the ActivityPub federation protocol, focusing on privacy, accessibility, and a healthy user culture.

Marvin Frommhold Feb 20

@briankrebs Do you know, where do they get the facial geometry data from?

@briankrebs
was just thinking of deleting my linked in YESTERDAY..wondering where they fall in the mix of privacy abusers...

done

Alerymin Feb 20

@briankrebs If only I did not litterally needed it if I want to get a job one day

@briankrebs
I just shared this and the first answer I got was "well, shit, but that's what most companies use and if I don't jump through their hoop I'll never get a job".

I don't share this view but I also want to read from everyone here. Any suggestions?

Khleedril Feb 20

@briankrebs It is called LinkedIn for a reason.

@briankrebs
I just shared this and the first answer I got was "well, shit, but that's what most companies use and if I don't jump through their hoop I'll never get a job".

I don't share this view but I also want to read from everyone here. Any suggestions?

maaneeack Feb 20

@tuneintodetuned @briankrebs I won't verify, but linkedin is probably the least sketchy way to find a job. Most of the spam I get comes from my info being on dice, indeed and careerbuilder. I've tried some other places for remote only positions, and I'm starting to follow the #getfedihired and #fedihire tags here looking for work. Another 3 or 4 weeks and it'll be a year of searching.

@maaneeack @tuneintodetuned @briankrebs this jives with my experience. It’s a low bar when LI is the better option.
I also worry about all the tools involved like resume building tools and job application management tools like workday. Applicants often have little choice but to share quite personal data and I fear what is done with it

maaneeack Feb 20

@dgodon @tuneintodetuned @briankrebs yeah, it's either allow the ai to scan your resume when you submit and agree to our 1500 page long privacy policy & terms of use, or don't apply. When I was still getting unemployment that wasn't really an option. Even now I just agree and submit, I need a job.

Rahul Setrakian Feb 20

@briankrebs Ouch, I didn't know that, I am already verified, so I'm doomed 🐧

Oyu F'ka Feb 20

@briankrebs When it comes to social media and apps, my entire family laugh at my usual motto: 'I don't trust them'....they think I'm paranoid, lol!

Makes no difference - I *still* don't trust them, and this confirms it, lol!

@briankrebs @mrswhitebelly

Ryek Darkener Feb 20

Don’t forget the 300+ companies which already read everything you do, verified or not.

Gene Shackman Feb 20

@briankrebs What happens to your LinkedIn data for people who haven't verified? Do third party companies or AI get your data anyway? Can you say you don't want your data shared?

Kitamime Feb 20

@briankrebs hard pass

GreatLakeTrout Feb 20

Their implementation of this was what convinces me it was time to shitcan LinkedIn. Did so about 6 months ago before this all happened and never looked back.

Serghei Pogor Feb 20

The startup world is just as guilty of this. Everyone's building the same productivity SaaS with slightly different colors. The real innovation happens when someone ignores what everyone else is doing

The Febrile Muse Feb 20

Deleted acct.

@briankrebs So glad I left that horrible platform a few months back.

Viral Obscurity Feb 20

@briankrebs that's scary stuff.

I deleted my account a while ago because of the AI slop and discriminatory policy changes but I feel sorry for anyone who unknowingly submits their data to those companies

Theodorus on Mastodon Feb 20

@briankrebs Deleted Linkedin few weeks ago.

Well not linkedin... my account obviously 😂

#usdigitaldetox

Thomas Traynor Feb 20

@briankrebs I shut down my account back in September. It was constantly getting spam from 'recruiters'.

Carolleisa Feb 20

@briankrebs Omg Thanks for the information

Knut 🏳️‍🌈 🇳🇴🧸Feb 20

@briankrebs I'm not on LinkedIn. It pisses potential employers, and I get asked "why?" And I respond "Because nothing about work should construe a social relationship of any kind". Maybe that's why I'm sill unemployed :\

@briankrebs how else will I find immediate interviews for an entry-level help desk job for $12/hour in the South Pole from someone who clearly didn’t look at my profile?

velocity is liquid Feb 20

@briankrebs The raping of PII across platforms is out of control and our officials are too clueless and spineless to take action against it. I highly recommend Terms of Service Did Not Read: https://tosdr.org/en/. It's my go to when (100% of the time) I have neither the time or inclination to swallow the legalese vomit supplied by site ToS. Down with the ToSers... erm... I mean the people who make ToS hard to read.

Terms of Service; Didn't Read

'I have read and agree to the Terms' is the biggest lie on the web. Together, we can fix that.

Nicole Parsons Feb 20

This explains why Koch is promoting Ai to the gullible in an alliance with Microsoft.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/2025/07/17/bill-gates-charles-koch-and-three-other-billionaires-are-giving-1-billion-to-enhance-economic-mobility-in-the-us/

To manipulate elections
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/us/politics/koch-network-2024-election-trump.html

Getting people accustomed to giving up their jobs to slave owners using detention center labor is going to be a tough sell.
https://jacobin.com/2024/09/alabama-convict-labor-fast-food

https://www.epi.org/publication/rooted-racism-prison-labor/

https://www.denverpost.com/2026/02/16/colorado-prison-labor-slavery-ruling-servitude/

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/prison-labour-the-last-stronghold-of-slavery-in-the-us/

Workers have AI threats hanging over their heads
https://fortune.com/2026/02/17/why-your-boss-loves-ai-and-you-hate-it-profits-end-of-capitalism/

https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/02/ai-improving-wages-job-quality/

Bill Gates, Charles Koch And Three Other Billionaires Are Giving $1 Billion To Boost Economic Mobility Using A.I.

Five of America’s top philanthropists are teaming up for a new venture aimed at helping low-income Americans rise from poverty. An AI giant has signed on to help.

Forbes

AI6YR Ben Feb 20

@Npars01 @briankrebs "convict leasing?!?!"

Nicole Parsons Feb 20

@ai6yr @briankrebs

https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/trumps-budget-bill-benefits-private-immigration-detention-companies-that-donated-to-trump/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/14/trump-administration-epa-prison-company-donations

https://theintercept.com/2025/07/10/corecivic-trump-big-beautiful-bill/

Convict Leasing has a long and storied legacy in the USA.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/documentary-relays-forgotten-tales-of-post-civil-war-slavery

"Slavery by Another Name"

CoreCivic and Geo Corp donated to the GOP to get convict leasing for detention centers.

https://philasun.com/entertainment/slavery-another-name-prison-industrial-complex-worth-revisiting-ahead-13th/

https://www.thirteen.org/programs/slavery-by-another-name/slavery-another-name-slavery-video/

https://monthlyreview.org/articles/its-still-slavery-by-another-name/

https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/douglas-blackmon

https://www.pbs.org/articles/10-must-watch-black-history-documentaries

Trump’s budget bill benefits private immigration detention companies that donated to Trump - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

President Trump’s budget bill paves the way for a huge windfall to private immigration detention companies that donated big to support Trump

CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

AI6YR Ben Feb 20

@Npars01 @briankrebs 😡

James Brooke Feb 21

@Npars01 @ai6yr @briankrebs
There is no place for private prisons in an ethical society! Rewarding deprivation is industrial scale cuelty. What shame on us all!

@briankrebs wth is #linkedin ?

George Saich Feb 21

@briankrebs
Yeah, NO!

Alan Langford 🇨🇦🧤🧊摏 Feb 21

@briankrebs Yeah. I looked at that precisely once when it came out. No friggin way. Now with AI it's like "verify we can use you as a deep fake." No. Nope. No no no no no.

@iveyline Feb 21

@briankrebs Glad I closed my LinkedIn account. It's become an unfriendly place, especially with the owner, Microsoft, being so closely involved the the US administration, security services and military. I don't trust them at all.

@briankrebs fuck lol

celeste 💫Feb 21

@briankrebs hi, reading through this and i assume you're posting this after my research piece came up since you mention all the checks persona are running. could you please attribute credit?

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2026/02/age-verification-vendor-persona-left-frontend-exposed

https://vmfunc.re/blog/persona

Age verification vendor Persona left frontend exposed, researchers say

Behind a basic age check, researchers say Persona’s system runs extensive identity, watchlist, and adverse-media screening.

Malwarebytes

BrianKrebs Feb 21

@celeste Unless I'm missing something, the post I linked to and cited from was published 4 days before yours. It's not about the reported frontend exposure.

celeste 💫Feb 21

@briankrebs mustve misread the timestamp; mb

celeste 💫Feb 21

@briankrebs ah it was actually the same day as my writeup, what a coincidence