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LinkedIn: The Creepiest Social Network
- junto 12y agoI had a similar experience with the suggested name of a family member that was pretty unusual. It had her working for a different company than the one she works for. I actually asked her some months later whether she was enjoying her new job, and sue looked at me completely blankly. I have no idea hoe they extrapolate these false positives.
- HillRat 12y agoThe only thing worse than a creepy panopticon that knows everything about you is a creepy panopticon that just thinks it knows everything about you.
- seren 12y agoCreepy experience from this week. We have hired someone for daycare, I only have exchanged a few mail with that person. And now, her husband is in "people I know". I don't have shared my mail credentials with Linkedin, but I assume she has, and since we are both in her contact list, Linkedin assumed we know each other. It is somewhat correct but creepy nonetheless. I am not going to add him but from my point of view, proposing you to add people you only know remotely diminishes the usefulness of the network. How can you trust the relation/recommendation/etc if you are connected to your second cousin's neighbor ?
- bostonpete 12y ago> I am not going to add him but from my point of view, proposing you to add people you only know remotely diminishes the usefulness of the network. The people I know who are the best at networking (I don't count myself in that class) are able to extract a remarkable amount of value out of contacts they only barely know or just have an indirect connection to. It might not be in your nature (or mine for that matter) to foster connections with people you don't really know, but it would arguably be beneficial to do so.
- ForHackernews 12y agoExcept the rest of us all hate those people. I guess maybe you're right that it works for them, but at the cost of real human relationships.
- bostonpete 12y agoI don't understand what you're referring to. There are people I know who are better able to reach out to a friend of a friend when a certain question/need comes up because they're better at networking. Oftentimes at that time, more of a relationship is developed at that time. I don't see why you would hate someone like that...
- vosper 12y agoI'm always a bit surprised that people find this sort of thing to be creepy. It's done automatically at a large scale by an algorithm - I would bet that there isn't a single human being at LinkedIn who knows that this connection was made (or is even aware of your existence [sorry]). Having said that, I completely agree that "proposing you to add people you only know remotely diminishes the usefulness of the network". LinkedIn should really dial this back a bit.
- seren 12y agoIt is creepy in the sense that it reminds me that every action I am taking online is monitored. And in this particular instance, I don't perceive the added value. Basically when it is useful, it is cool, and when it is not, it is creepy.
- GFK_of_xmaspast 12y agoAn algorithm may be a piece of pure, abstract mathematics, but its use and implementation is still a product of human intent and societal construction.
- ForHackernews 12y agoI think people just have different thresholds for what they consider invasive. I imagine even you have one somewhere. How would you feel if when you logged into Facebook, it told you: * What your last meal consisted of? * When your last bowel movement was? * When you last masturbated? These are all pieces of information that could theoretically be algorithmically obtained (without a single human "knowing") from internet-of-things / quantified-self / fitness-tracking / smart-watch devices. Which of the above would seem "creepy" to you?
- column 12y agoIn my opinion recommandations on LinkedIn are fairly trustworthy because: 0. they are redacted from logged-in accounts (while still possible I believe the risk of having an impersonator write someone's a recommandation is rather low, YMMV) 1. the relationship between the two is clearly stated 2. you are 1 click away from finding more about the person that wrote the review It's arguable, but a recommandation on LinkedIn takes more work than a recommandation by phone. The words you say on LinkedIn tend to stay, and rather openly accessible.
- joering2 12y ago> I don't have shared my mail credentials with Linkedin, but I assume she has Unfortunately that's not the case, and it's much darker than this. Recently I was asked by a friend to open a profile for a non-existing character from her book. I had to create an email address to open a linkedin. A new email address. Never used. After creating profile I emailed this new account from my own email. Week later my profile shows in character's "people you know", and also the character shows in my stream. Never had option to share contacts on with anyone as I oppose those that. This situation proved to me that LinkedIn has to have some special deal with yahoo (at least) that they are gathering some extra data about people emailing each other. Otherwise there is no chance in hell that character's profile would guess me. I'm not saying that yahoo provides a database of all your contacts to LinkedIn, but for example they can provide a streamline of md5 emails and then LinkedIn scrub it and match on their own. There is something going on here much more advance than simple guessing who you may know.
- fintler 12y agoWait, why can't the relationship just be: you -> your friend -> a post your friend made with the name of the character -> the fictional character's profile Getting Yahoo/email involved seems unnecessary to make the link.
- jamiesonbecker 12y agoAt some point Occam's razor comes into play.
- mavhc 12y agoDid you use your own ip address to sign up to linkedin?
- milesskorpen 12y agoMany email providers automatically add people you email to your contacts list. If you'd provided LinkedIn access to your contacts (which many providers do), then its not a surprise that LinkedIn recommended the non-existent person.
- svdree 12y agoShe and/or her husband probably checked you out on LinkedIn, that's how he shows up in your 'people I know'. It's not really that creepy. Some time ago I was put on an assignment at another company, and suddenly people from that company started showing up in my 'people you may know' list. And vice versa probably, since I also checked out some of their profiles. This is just what people do these days when they get a job somewhere.
- seren 12y agoHe did not show up in the list of people that visited my profile. He could have done so anonymously though.
- traviswingo 12y agoIt's creepy but its also cool from an engineering perspective. Statistically we can draw fairly accurate conclusions merely based on the actions of the people around us. LinkedIn is just taking the data approach to how someones face looks when someone they know walks into the room. -_-
- rdlecler1 12y agoLinkedIn's social graph is much more valuable to the company, if the graph captures only real offline connections. A fully connected network graph offers no information insights. As time goes on and LinkedIn's social graph becomes polluted with spurious connections this will devalue the company. They need more quality control around this, not more sharsee.
- suttree 12y agoYes, this. You can see them struggling to fill out the graph with more data, in the belief that more is better, but it's certainly not richer. Of course, I'm conflicted, building a cultural graph at www.somewhere.com rather than a social graph - I think those days are over.
- ams6110 12y agoIf it's creepy it should just illustrate that it's not too difficult to make these sorts of connections based on address books and activity both on linkedin and on other sites that cooperate with linkedin. What you do online is in most cases not very private. Act accordingly.
- erkose 12y agoWhat makes it creepy to me is that it is an Experian company.
- PLenz 12y agoIs LinkedIn even a social network? Everyone I know uses it as basically a resume hosting site. I don't know of anyone who uses it for actually doing anything 'social' - just career related things.
- PakG1 12y agoI saw a meme post today. Bunch of people liked it. It said, "LinkedIn is not Facebook. Please stop posting silly brainteasers, what you ate, and so on." Or something to that effect. I think the HN crowd wouldn't really care for its social aspects because the HN crowd's professional online social needs are more satisfied by the likes of HN, Github, Stackoverflow, and so on. However, I see a lot of professional discussions on there for people of other career paths.
- plumeria 12y agoYou can use it to contact people (in a cold call manner) and propose them new business. I've use it successfully to make some pitches. You have to pay for that, though.
- peterjmag 12y agoLinkedIn has experienced substantial growth in recent years, but they seem to be overstepping their bounds in certain areas. I'd argue that they've experienced substantial growth precisely because they overstep their bounds. They're actively rewarded for engaging in this kind of behavior, and they rarely (if ever) face any real consequences when they take it too far. And despite the occasional angry blog post, it will continue until there's some sort of mass exodus of users—and even that would most likely be brought on by simple network effects rather than any sort of collective concern for privacy.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- jamiesonbecker 12y agoOne time I sent an email to a random celebrity, and literally a few minutes later he showed up in my 'you may know..' list. I became convinced at that point that LI is sniffing SMTP headers at peering points. I don't know how you would cut that deal, but if Google has their CDN everywhere, there's precedent.
- chatmasta 12y agoMore likely they get data from their acquisition of Rapportive, which is a gmail extension that displays LinkedIn info of people next to emails from/to them.
- jamiesonbecker 12y agoGood guess, except neither of us were using Gmail.
- proksoup 12y agoGmail can be used with non gmail domains.
- jamiesonbecker 12y agoBut gmail would show in the Received headers, right..
- chatmasta 12y agoIt would show google SMTP server if one received it in the inbox. I think that's always the case. As far as I know gmail cannot be a web client to external SMTP servers.
- proksoup 12y agoSorry for ignorance, I don't know what received headers are. Would the same apply if the email you sent is "forwarded" automatically to another email address that you are unaware of? Or by received headers you meant you get a reply back from the celebrity?
- Mahn 12y ago> I don’t currently and haven’t previously used the Imported Contact feature But perhaps the others did? If 'Steve Jacobs' imported his contacts and you exchanged emails with him, LinkedIn apparently becomes aware of that relationship. In fact: > Tami has a total of 5 connections, lives in Seattle, no public company or title listed, but we just happened to exchange a few emails a couple days prior regarding some questions I had about software her company sold. Tami probably used the imported contacts feature here, and that's how LinkedIn would know.
- zatkin 12y agoThe author argues (in the comments on the webpage) that Tami had a small time frame to import her contacts, but perhaps she just didn't show up in "People You May Know" yet.
- interactually 12y agoAuthor here: You're probably right on that particular example. Unfortunately there's still a number of others that have no other explanation other than undisclosed relationships with other sites. Just the other day, I had two requests to connect from people I'm only friends with on FB; I haven't seen either of them for over a decade so I'm definitely not in their contacts list.
- diminoten 12y agoThey're just suggesting people who've looked at your profile. Your friends looked you up on LinkedIn.
- fps 12y agoI had an interesting experience last year when I was working in a co-working space. I noticed that LinkedIn started suggesting to me the other people who were working in the same space. I had no verbal or virtual contact with these people, other than basic office small talk, but I never knew their name and they never knew mine. I mentioned it to them, and they all claimed they hadn't looked me up on LinkedIn, and that that was very weird. My assumption was that LinkedIn knew we were sharing the same internet connection and so they linked us together.
- crypt1d 12y agoOr perhaps you had the same workplace info on Linkedin?
- fps 12y agowe worked for different companies - even technically in different cities - I live in Boston and was working for a company in SF. My LinkedIn entry for my workplace listed the SF address.
- wdewind 12y agoMaybe someone had all of your email addresses (like the organizer of the coworking space) and uploaded them to LinkedIn via the contact finder.
- fps 12y agoI can't say that wasn't the case, but I believe it would have required a lot of sleuthing. I was a recent hire to the company and never added my company email address to LinkedIn. The co-working space organizer, if they even had my email address, would have had my company email and not my personal one.
- antoinec 12y agoI had the same experience with my roommates a few years ago, I knew their names offline, but I never had any contact with them online (no email, not friends on Facebook, not followed on Twitter...) , and Linkedin suggested them to me. The only online thing we shared was our IP address...
- zatkin 12y agoOther users who have imported their contact list is probably what causes them to show up on "People You May Know". I have noticed that people who I'm suggested to add are ones that I have only communicated with through email.
- AdamFernandez 12y agoThis is the most obvious explanation. It compares your email to the list of contacts that other people have imported. If you were on their list, you may 'know' them. Pretty simple.
- interactually 12y agoNot necessarily. I've had recommendations from people I've never exchanged emails or phone numbers with and our only "connection" has been through Facebook or Twitter. They'd have no reason or way to have me in their contacts list. As the article describes, they've even recommended people who just happen to share the same name as someone I DO know, but otherwise have not the slightest connection in the world with.
- LoSboccacc 12y agoSimpler explanation: Random services where people signed allowing 'share data with third parties'. That's not random wording, those precisely are this type of metadata sharing agreement where money exchanges hand buying people information.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- imroot 12y agoI wish that LinkedIn had the ability to disable your profile. I'm not looking for a job, I'm not looking to connect with recruiters, and I really don't like the ability for one of my exes to publicly see where I'm working so that she can continue to harass me -- on the other hand, My LinkedIn Profile is around eight or nine years old at this point in time, and I've amassed a fair amount of connections, that I'd like to keep should I need to start looking for a job anytime soon. I wish that I could disable it, hiding it from search engines, recruiters, and anyone else who's looking for it, until I'm ready to start looking for a job without deleting every one of my connections and starting over.
- dangerlibrary 12y agoYou don't pay for LinkedIn. You are the product, and allowing you to hide your profile makes you a less valuable product to the customers (recruiters). Until paying customers start complaining that their response rates are too low because there are too many inactive/unresponsive profiles, this won't happen.
- LoSboccacc 12y agoWhat I hate the most are the cheapskates recruiters that don't pay for premium and spam you connection request not being able to send direct mails. I don't mind being connected with relevant offers, that's what I signed up for. But then there are those low rate recruiters sending shotgun requests, asking for connecting and then asking me to do their job (you know, that'if you know someone interested' part) with mass request that are not even close to my listed skillset. I don't understand how people can benefit from employing them, if they can't even match skills too job most prospects sent to interviews will be a waste of time for both parties involved.
- msm23 12y agoThe author pointed out that there is an additional Privacy Controls section in Groups, Companies & Applications as well as under Profile. However, there is yet another Privacy Controls section under Account. LinkedIn may use cookies and similar technologies on third party sites to understand my browsing interests and target ads and personalize services accordingly. If you're going to have a "Privacy Controls" section, then please do not be creepy and spread such controls through three separate sections.
- interactually 12y agoAuthor here: Thanks for pointing this out, the article is a couple years old. I like how vague this new bit is as well. I'm sure we'd never find out any details about these "similar technologies" or which "third party sites"
- untog 12y agoDeleted my LinkedIn account about a year ago. I'm yet to suffer a single negative consequence from it.
- jader201 12y agoTitle needs [2013] appended, as it's from May 9, 2013. Original HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5680680 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5680680
- crypt1d 12y agoThe only thing I find linkedin useful for these days is to keep an eye on open positions related to my field. Besides, I dont know anyone that uses LinkedIn and actually likes it. Lets face it, its completely horrible for many reasons: - Recruiters sending unsolicited connections requests and spam, - Lame articles on productivity ( "5 reasons you should do X", or "5 things billionaires do when Y" bla bla.) - Who viewed your profile feature - seriously, things like this make people not click on other people's profile. - All kinds of statistics on profile views that don't really mean anything of value. - Thousands of collaboration groups that are completely inactive, so basically no community whatsoever. I honestly think that the only reason they are still in business is because nobody came up with a superior product yet, and that makes me sad.
- hamitron 12y agoIn addition to the recruiter spam, I found that they will simply add you so they have access to your connections as well.
- machosx 12y agoIt's actually a pretty ugly site. You'd think for a site that popular they'd hire better designers.
- mbesto 12y ago> David Veldt is a digital marketing consultant specializing in building online businesses and growing brands. He writes on a variety of topics within SEO, PPC and analytics, as well as the occasional ode to baseball. This is an amazing conclusion coming from a digital marketing consultant who's livelihood is based on the very principles that he's challenging. This is akin to a car salesman not realizing that many of the parts of the "American car" he's selling are probably not made in America.
- mud_dauber 12y agoI completely grok this discussion. Let me add a different perspective. I work in a remote office with a very small number of keep-to-themselves colleagues. It's very common to arrive, spend 9 hours working, and leave for home w/o any dialogue other than a polite "how's it going?". In other words the place is dead. The sales force is scattered around the world & doesn't need a lot of hand-holding. Our marketplace is a relative backwater, so there's not a lot "churn" to keep things interesting. (I'm a product guy. Interaction is like breathing.) The bottom line is that I find myself with a lot spare time to explore & learn. My first choices are HN & Feedly, but I do enjoy finding colleagues from prior jobs - and the occasional high school / college friend - on LI. It definitely serves a remote-networking purpose for me.
- justindocanto 12y agoThis link is now redirecting to an odd mix of the intended link + the wp install url http://www.interactually.com/linkedin-creepiest-social-network/wp-admin/install.php http://www.interactually.com/linkedin-creepiest-social-netwo...
- niche 12y agosamesies
- interactually 12y agoSorry about that; my web host sucks and this happens whenever this post blows up. The problem should be resolved now.
- markbnj 12y agoIt may be the creepiest social network, but it is also the only network where I can be endorsed for skills I've forgotten I had by people I've forgotten I worked with.
- wsc981 12y agoI've always found the endorsements pretty pointless, especially since many people seem to 'trade' endorsements (I endorse you if you endorse me). So I don't accept endorsements and I also will not endorse anyone.
- hamitron 12y agoI frequently get endorsed for 'social media.' Not entirely sure why, and not legitimate skills I may have.
- rcurry 12y agoWe turned LinkedIn endorsements into a trivia game at one office: "Hey Bob, do you know why owls can turn their heads 270 degrees?" "Uh, because they can't move their eyes?" That's a Wildlife Biology endorsement right there.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- vuldin 12y agoI don't like how I still show up on linkedin to other people in spite of the fact that I deleted my account (to the best of anyone's ability) years ago.
- veritas20 12y agoI remember reading an article a while back (can't find it at the moment) that LinkedIn imported iPhone users contact lists without consent similar to what Path did but much earlier.
- mlajeunesse 12y agoDoes anyone else think that LinkedIn should spend less time being creepy and more time fixing it's basic features? Half the time the site takes forever to load, the filtering features rarely work and the search is so bad. I don't know how a site that has been around for this long still has so many issues with basic features.
- p1itopre 12y agoMy creepiest experience on LI: my six year old niece is a recommended connection.
- interactually 12y agoI wrote this blog post almost two years ago. Incredibly disappointed that the problem has only gotten worse and no questions have been answered.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- ndesaulniers 12y agoIs it at all possible that they have deals with hosted email providers?
- interactually 12y agoJust a few more bits of creepiness that have happened since I wrote this article a couple years ago: - My wife signed up for LinkedIn years ago with her work email but never added any connections. She got an email to her personal email address from LinkedIn saying "David Veldt is inviting you to join LinkedIn!" I have no permissions that I could find set to allow such a thing. - Just in the past week, two people have requested to connect with me that I haven't seen in over 10 years and live a couple states away from. Our only "connection" is that we're Facebook friends. There's no way I'm in their contacts list. I find it highly unlikely that they've searched or viewed my profile because we have absolutely nothing in common. - The thing lately that pisses me off the most is how much they're trying to get me to mindlessly give them access to my contact list. On the app, sometimes a screen pops up when I open it to "Find more connections" but turns out they want authorization for my address book. Same thing on the notifications; they show a notification in the connections icon which usually indicates someone wants to connect, but instead its just a generic "hey, we can find you more of these!" type of notification. Reminds me of the cartoons where the salesman keeps popping up from laundry hampers and behind trees. Might be time for a follow-up article.