LinkedIn Apologizes For Trying To Connect Everyone In Real Life (vocativ.com)

LinkedIn has apologized for a vague new update that told some iPhone users its app would begin sharing their data with nearby users without further explanation. From a report: The update prompted outrage on Twitter after cybersecurity expert Rik Ferguson received a strange alert when he opened the resume app to read a new message: "LinkedIn would like to make data available to nearby Bluetooth devices even when you're not using the app." That gave Ferguson, vice president of research at the cybersecurity firm Trend Micro, a handful of concerns, he told Vocativ. Among them: "the lack of specificity, which data, when, under what conditions, to which devices, why does it need to happen when I'm not using the app, what are the benefits to me, where is the feature announcement and explanation, why wasn't it listed in the app update details." Reached for comment, LinkedIn said it's a mistake -- that some iPhone users were accidentally subject to undeveloped test feature the company is still working on.

Comments

It was a mistake

[thegarbz]

you found out about this horrible feature before we officially released it.

Re:It was a mistake

[zifn4b]

You found out about this horrible feature before you clicked through the EULA without reading it.

You don't need to read a EULA to understand that social networking is a huge risk to privacy. LinkedIn, in particular, wants your details as transparent as possible because of who pays their bills. That's precisely what they want. They want to know if you're too smart to figure them out or just smart enough to work for them without asking too many questions and to be a good, little subservient drone.

sounds like a good reason

[FudRucker]

to not trust any social media website with your personal information (are you listening facebook zombies?)

Re:What??

[DogDude]

I remember when it was about business.

It hasn't changed. It was always about their business, and it still is. The business is: you give them information, and then they sell it.

Re:I like the idea

[110010001000]

Dude, its LinkedIn. Everyone is a "thought-leader" on there. It means they spend time spouting bullshit instead of actually working.

Nothing new

[93 Escort Wagon]

This isn't the first time LinkedIn did something shady via their iPhone app. Frankly, I'm not sure why anyone would still trust them enough to install it.

Bad security practices and double standards

[ukoda]

My current pet peeve with LinkedIn is the weekly requests for access to my email contact list. Would you employ someone to work with technology who gave out their email password just to share their contact list? I emailed them to complain that if I didn't compromise my security the first time they asked why do they keep on asking? They bounced my email because they couldn't do a reverse lookup on my email server. Apparently a SPF record is not good enough for them, I need to have enough money to be able to pay for service that will allow reverse lookup. A real double standard considering they want access to my contact list.

While I am complaining, I am really tempted to bounce any incoming emails with a noreply reply address. Is anyone doing that yet? If I am prepared to accept their email I think it is only reasonable they should be prepared to accept my reply.