LinkedIn beats "BrowserGate" lawsuits over scanning users' Chrome extensions
A federal judge dismissed lawsuits against LinkedIn over allegations that the platform scanned users' Chrome browser extensions, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to allege a concrete privacy harm.
Why this matters: Courts increasingly demand that privacy plaintiffs show real, tangible harm before a case can move forward. That standard matters because a lot of privacy violations feel creepy and wrong without leaving an obvious injury you can put a number on. LinkedIn scanning what browser extensions you have installed is not a small thing. It is a company reading your browser environment without most users knowing. Dismissing the case on harm grounds does not mean the conduct was fine. It means the legal system has a high bar for when that conduct becomes actionable.
Who should care: General readers · Privacy officers · Policy
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