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LinkedIn's 'BrowserGate' Scans Extensions, Sparks Privacy Concerns

4/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

LinkedIn injects a JavaScript script into user sessions to scan for more than 6,000 Chrome extensions and collect device information, calling the operation "BrowserGate".
The operation is not disclosed in LinkedIn's privacy policy.
Critics argue it constitutes covert surveillance because the data can identify users even after cookies are cleared.
LinkedIn says the scanning is a security measure to detect data-scraping extensions, while the investigation questions EU data protection compliance.

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Story summary

LinkedIn injects a JavaScript script into user sessions to scan for more than 6,000 Chrome extensions and collect device information, calling the operation "BrowserGate".
The operation is not disclosed in LinkedIn's privacy policy.
Critics argue it constitutes covert surveillance because the data can identify users even after cookies are cleared.
LinkedIn says the scanning is a security measure to detect data-scraping extensions, while the investigation questions EU data protection compliance.