A Privacy Group Claims LinkedIn Silently Scans Your Browser Extensions Every Time You Visit

A European advocacy group says LinkedIn runs hidden JavaScript code that detects which browser extensions you have installed each time you visit the site, without disclosing this in its privacy policy or asking for consent, and that the results are transmitted to third-party companies.

Fairlinked e.V., a German nonprofit representing commercial LinkedIn users, published the investigation they are calling BrowserGate, alleging LinkedIn probes for thousands of extensions on every page load, including tools that could reveal a user's religious beliefs, political orientation, disability status, and whether they are quietly searching for a new job. LinkedIn has not publicly addressed the broader allegations. Here is what Fairlinked says its evidence pack contains, and what each item shows:

• LinkedIn's own JavaScript bundle (publicly served to every Chrome user visiting linkedin.com): Fairlinked claims it contains a hardcoded list of over 6,000 Chrome extension IDs paired with internal file paths, along with functions named fetchExtensions, scanDOMForPrefix, and fireExtensionDetectedEvents. Independent analysis puts the extension count closer to 2,953.
• A screen-recorded video of the alleged scanning captured in Chrome developer tools, showing fetch() calls to chrome-extension:// URLs followed by what Fairlinked says is transmission of results to LinkedIn's servers. Fairlinked says it is unedited.
• A cryptographically timestamped evidence package dated February 19, 2026, verified against an independent timestamp authority, which Fairlinked says proves the files have not been altered since capture.
• A sworn court affidavit from LinkedIn's Senior Engineering Manager, filed in German court proceedings on February 6, 2026. LinkedIn confirmed in that affidavit that extension detection mechanisms exist, stating they are used to identify causes of service disruptions. The same affidavit states LinkedIn's systems do not consider which extensions a user has, but also states LinkedIn took action against users who had a specific extension installed. Fairlinked argues those two claims cannot both be true.

LinkedIn's privacy policy contains no mention of extension scanning. LinkedIn and Microsoft had not responded to the broader allegations as of publication. Legal proceedings under the EU Digital Markets Act have been filed.

If it were confirmed that a platform you use daily was silently scanning your installed software without disclosing it, would that be enough for you to stop using it?