Linkedin claims it informed users of opted-in ad scheme

SOCIAL NETWORK Linkedin has responded to reports that it was flogging data to advertisers without its users' knowledge.

Yesterday it was reported that Linkedin could face legal trouble for automatically opting-in its 100 million or so users to a programme that gives advertisers access to personal details. Not surprisingly this has caused an uproar similar to that at Facebook when it launched its Beacon ad delivery system.

Now Linkedin has moved to reassure its users that it takes their privacy seriously. Linkedin's Ryan Roslansky said that the company informed users of changes to its privacy policy back in June, mentioning "the new ad format's opt-out policy". He added that Linkedin never shares personal information with third party advertisers and that the firm makes it easy for users to opt-out of the scheme.

Roslansky ends his post by saying, "Trust is the foundation upon which the Linkedin platform is built. We'll continue to work hard to earn and maintain your trust, while delivering the most valuable and relevant experience we can."

Linkedin might well have informed its users that there would be changes to its privacy policy, but like every company it will know that many users don't bother opt-ing out of anything, either because they are unaware of the option to do so or they can't be bothered. Google found out through Buzz that auto-enrolling users and offering them an opt-out option wasn't enough to spare it from criticism and has adopted a far more conservative approach with Google+.

All social network operators make money by harvesting user information and providing targeted advertising. However it is expected that third parties are not privvy to the information and that the social network provides an internal ad system to dish out the adverts.

By creating an opt-out policy, Linkedin might have damaged the trust it claims is so vital to its existence. µ