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LinkedIn locks your GDPR rights behind a paywall
EU privacy group Noyb has challenged LinkedIn after the company refused an unnamed user's GDPR Article 15 request for the raw data behind its profile viewer feature, arguing privacy protections justified withholding it. The dispute centers on LinkedIn/Microsoft giving premium subscribers detailed lists of visitors while free users see only aggregated or obfuscated summaries and are pushed to pay to access full data. Noyb contends the “processed” visitor data belongs to users and must be disclosed on request, which could set an EU legal precedent about firms monetizing access to user-derived data. A ruling could affect how platforms handle, disclose and commercialize behavioral data under GDPR.
EU privacy group Noyb has taken up a complaint against LinkedIn/Microsoft after a non-paying user invoked GDPR Article 15 to request the full list of profile viewers, which LinkedIn reserves for Premium subscribers. LinkedIn refused, arguing privacy protections and pointing to its privacy policy, while Noyb and its lawyer Martin Baumann say Article 15 entitles users to copies of any personal data processed about them — including who viewed their profile — without being forced to pay. The case could test whether companies can effectively monetize access to user data they've already processed, and whether charging for visibility of that data violates GDPR access rights.
EU privacy NGO Noyb has challenged LinkedIn after a user invoked GDPR Article 15 to request their full profile-visitor data, which LinkedIn reserves as a premium feature. The complaint argues that visitor lists are personal data processed by Microsoft/LinkedIn and therefore must be supplied to the data subject free of charge, despite LinkedIn’s claim that the feature and its privacy policy fulfill GDPR obligations. Noyb’s lawyer Martin Baumann says companies cannot monetize access to a person’s own data, barring narrow exceptions where disclosure would infringe others’ rights. The case could set an important EU precedent on whether freemium gating of processed personal data is lawful under GDPR. This matters to platforms, privacy compliance, and data-monetization models.
LinkedIn is accused of gating profile-visitor data behind its paid Premium tier while refusing to supply the same information free in response to GDPR Article 15 access requests. Privacy NGO noyb filed a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority after LinkedIn declined an access request, arguing the company improperly cites third-party privacy concerns to deny disclosure. noyb and data protection lawyer Martin Baumann say visitor data—used to monetise features and personalise ads—should be provided free of charge under EU law, and that charging or withholding it as a paid product conflicts with GDPR. The case could force a regulatory ruling on whether platforms can monetise data that must be disclosed on request.
LinkedIn locks your GDPR rights behind a paywall