An exposé called BrowserGate claims LinkedIn’s JavaScript probes users’ browsers to detect roughly 6,000 extensions, allegedly enabling profiling and large-scale corporate espionage. LinkedIn says the checks are to identify abusive or stability-impacting extensions, while researcher Tyler Reguly calls it resource probing rather than malicious scanning and legal experts warn of GDPR and other privacy risks. #BrowserGate #LinkedIn
Keypoints
- BrowserGate alleges LinkedIn’s JavaScript scans for about 6,000 browser extensions to profile users.
- LinkedIn states the data is used to detect extensions that violate terms and protect site stability.
- Security researcher Tyler Reguly describes the technique as resource probing, not a computer scan or malicious code.
- Legal experts warn the practice could breach privacy laws like the GDPR if done without informed consent.
- Administrators can use the discovered Extension IDs to block known problematic scrapers and extensions.