Fairlinked's "BrowserGate" report alleges that LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, scans visitors' browsers for installed extensions and tools without disclosure, including competitor sales products and job-search add-ons. The report says the results are sent to LinkedIn and third parties, potentially exposing sensitive traits and revealing which companies use rival products. It also claims the scan list grew from about 461 products in 2024 to more than 6,000 by February 2026, and that the activity is not described in LinkedIn's privacy policy.

https://browsergate.eu/

#InfoSec #Privacy #DataProtection #LinkedIn

LinkedIn Is Illegally Searching Your Computer

Microsoft is running one of the largest corporate espionage operations in modern history. Every time any of LinkedIn’s one billion users visits linkedin.com, hidden code searches their computer for installed software, collects the results, and transmits them to LinkedIn’s servers and to third-party companies including an American-Israeli cybersecurity firm. The user is never asked. Never told. LinkedIn’s privacy policy does not mention it. Because LinkedIn knows each user’s real name, employer, and job title, it is not searching anonymous visitors. It is searching identified people at identified companies. Millions of companies. Every day. All over the world.

BrowserGate