LinkedIn terms of service, explained in plain English

LinkedIn collects detailed professional and behavioral data and shares it across Microsoft services. It claims a wide license to your content and defaults you into various data and messaging settings.

🚨 Key things to watch out for

The clauses that could affect you the most. Read these even if you skip everything else.

LinkedIn gets a broad, worldwide, transferable license to use, copy, modify, and distribute all content you post, and this license partially survives even after you delete your content.

3.1

LinkedIn's maximum financial liability to you is capped at just $1,000 or fees you've paid, regardless of how much actual damage you suffer—including lost business, reputation harm, or data loss.

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📋 Every clause, explained

Browse what the terms actually say — filter by severity or by topic.

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Showing 23 clauses

1Introduction1 clause

⚠️

LinkedIn can change terms unilaterally

📝Can change terms anytime

1-A

💬 LinkedIn can change the rules of the agreement at any time. While they promise to notify you of big changes, they can also make immediate changes for "new features" without waiting. If you keep using LinkedIn after they notify you, you're automatically agreeing to the new terms—even if you didn't actually read them.

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“LinkedIn may modify the contract and related policies. Material changes require notice through the Services or other means, giving you opportunity to review before effectiveness. Immediate changes may occur when legally required or for new features. Continued use following notice constitutes acceptance.”

2.3Payment2 clauses

⚠️

Automatic subscription renewal and billing

🔄Auto-renews

23-A

💬 If you sign up for any paid LinkedIn service, your subscription will automatically renew and you'll be charged again unless you actively cancel. LinkedIn also keeps your payment information on file and can continue billing even after your card expires (likely by obtaining updated card details from your bank).

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“Allow LinkedIn to store payment information and continue billing after expiration. Accept automatic charging at subscription renewal.”

ℹ️

Foreign exchange fees and location-based pricing

📌Other

23-B

💬 LinkedIn may charge different prices based on your location, and your bank may add foreign currency conversion fees on top of that. You might pay more than the listed price depending on where you are.

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“Acknowledge possible foreign exchange fees or location-based pricing”

2.5Sharing1 clause

⚠️

Content removal without notice

📌Other

25-A

💬 LinkedIn can delete your posts, comments, or other content at any time without telling you first, as long as the law in your jurisdiction doesn't require them to notify you.

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“LinkedIn may remove content without notice where legally permitted.”

3.1Your License to LinkedIn5 clauses

⚠️

Broad content license to LinkedIn and affiliates

📄Claims your content

31-A

💬 While you technically keep ownership of what you post, you're giving LinkedIn (and Microsoft and its subsidiaries) an extremely broad license to do almost anything with your content—copy it, change it, redistribute it, and sublicense it to others—anywhere in the world.

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“You own original content you submit, but grant LinkedIn and its Affiliates a worldwide, transferable, sublicensable, non-exclusive license to use, copy, modify, distribute, and display your content.”

⚠️

License survives deletion for shared copies

📄Claims your content

31-B

💬 Even after you delete your content, LinkedIn's license continues for any copies that were already shared or distributed before you deleted it. Your content could live on indefinitely in others' feeds, caches, or systems.

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“You can delete content anytime, ending the license except for copies others made or shared before deletion”

⚠️

Social actions may appear alongside ads

📄Claims your content

31-C

💬 LinkedIn can display ads right next to your posts or use your likes, comments, and other activity as part of their advertising—essentially using your engagement to promote ads, even without explicit consent for each instance.

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“Ads may appear near your content; your social actions may appear with ads”

ℹ️

Feedback used without compensation

📌Other

31-D

💬 If you suggest improvements or report bugs to LinkedIn, they can use your ideas freely without paying you anything or giving you credit.

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“LinkedIn may use feedback you provide without compensation.”

ℹ️

Content may be edited by LinkedIn

📄Claims your content

31-E

💬 LinkedIn can modify your content for formatting, translate it, or transcribe it. While they say they won't materially change the meaning, you have no control over how accurately translations or edits preserve your intent.

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“Content may be edited for format, translation, or transcription without materially changing meaning”

3.2Service Availability2 clauses

⚠️

LinkedIn can change or discontinue services at will

⛔Account termination

32-A

💬 LinkedIn can shut down features, change how the service works, or remove your content at any time. They have no obligation to keep your data safe or accessible. They explicitly say they are not a storage service.

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“LinkedIn may: Change, suspend, or discontinue Services. Limit feature availability by country or subscription level. Remove or restrict content without obligation to store or maintain it.”

⚠️

No obligation to preserve your content

🗄️Data retention

32-B

💬 LinkedIn makes clear they don't have to keep your posts, messages, articles, or any other content you've uploaded. If they delete it or it's lost, they're not responsible for recovering it.

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“LinkedIn isn't a storage service and has no obligation to preserve content except as required by law.”

3.3Other Content, Sites and Apps2 clauses

ℹ️

No responsibility for third-party content or services

🛡️Limits their liability

33-A

💬 LinkedIn won't be held accountable if someone posts false, misleading, or even illegal content about you or your business. They use automated moderation but acknowledge it doesn't catch everything—and you accept that risk by using the platform.

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“LinkedIn isn't responsible for third-party content, which may be inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or illegal. While automated tools review content, LinkedIn doesn't prevent all misuse. You acknowledge risks of inaccurate information shared about you or your organization.”

ℹ️

No endorsement or responsibility for job offers and services

🛡️Limits their liability

33-B

💬 Even though LinkedIn is widely used for job searching and hiring, they take no responsibility for the quality, legitimacy, or outcome of job listings, freelance offers, or other services posted on the platform.

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“LinkedIn connects Members offering employment, products, or services but doesn't perform these services, supervise providers, or make hiring decisions. LinkedIn doesn't endorse particular offers and isn't an employment agency.”

3.4Limits1 clause

⚠️

Account restriction or termination at LinkedIn's discretion

⛔Account termination

34-A

💬 LinkedIn can limit how you use the platform, restrict your account, or terminate it entirely if they decide you've violated their terms. The determination of what constitutes 'misuse' is largely at their discretion.

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“LinkedIn reserves the right to: Limit connections and member contact frequency. Restrict, suspend, or terminate accounts for Contract violations, legal violations, or Service misuse.”

3.6Recommendations and Automated Processing2 clauses

⚠️

Your data used for recommendations and AI features

🤖AI training on your data

36-A

💬 LinkedIn actively uses your personal data, profile information, and content to power its recommendation algorithms and advertising targeting. The more data you provide, the more they use.

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“LinkedIn uses member data and content information to recommend connections, content, ads, and features. Keeping your profile current improves recommendation accuracy.”

⚠️

Generative AI features with accuracy disclaimers

🤖AI training on your data

36-B

💬 LinkedIn may use AI to generate content, and your data likely feeds into these systems. However, they disclaim responsibility for AI-generated inaccuracies—you're on the hook if AI-generated content you share turns out to be wrong or problematic.

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“Services may include automated content generation features. Generated content may be inaccurate or unsuitable; review and edit before sharing. You're responsible for ensuring compliance with Professional Community Policies.”

4.1No Warranty1 clause

⚠️

Service provided 'AS IS' with no warranties

🛡️Limits their liability

41-A

💬 LinkedIn makes zero promises that the service will work properly, be available when you need it, or be suitable for your needs. If the platform goes down, has bugs, or causes you problems, they've preemptively disclaimed responsibility.

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“LinkedIn and its Affiliates provide Services "AS IS" without representations or warranties regarding uninterrupted, error-free operation. All implied or statutory warranties, including merchantability and fitness for particular purpose, are disclaimed.”

4.2Exclusion of Liability1 clause

🔴

Liability capped at $1,000 or fees paid

🛡️Limits their liability

42-A

💬 If LinkedIn causes you to lose business, damages your reputation, or loses your data, the most they'll ever pay you is $1,000 or whatever you've paid them in fees—whichever is more. For most free users, that means a maximum of $1,000, regardless of how much damage was actually caused.

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“To the fullest extent permitted by law, LinkedIn won't be liable for lost profits, business opportunities, reputation damage, data loss, or indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages. Liability caps at either total fees paid or $1,000 USD, whichever is greater.”

5Termination1 clause

ℹ️

Certain rights survive account termination

📌Other

5-A

💬 Even after you close your account, LinkedIn keeps the right to use your feedback, the liability limitations still protect them, and you still owe any outstanding payments. Many of the terms continue to bind you even after you leave.

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“Termination ends access rights but doesn't terminate: LinkedIn's rights to use feedback. Section 3 obligations (with exceptions). Sections 4, 6, 7, and 8.2. Pre-termination payment obligations.”

6Governing Law and Dispute Resolution1 clause

⚠️

Mandatory California jurisdiction for non-EU users

📍Jurisdiction

6-A

💬 If you're outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland and have a dispute with LinkedIn, you must sue them in California courts under California law—no matter where you live. This can make pursuing legal action expensive and impractical for most users.

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“California law exclusively governs disputes. All claims must be litigated in federal or state courts in Santa Clara County, California. Both parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.”

7General Terms1 clause

⚠️

LinkedIn can assign agreement without your consent

📌Other

7-A

💬 You can't transfer your agreement to someone else, but LinkedIn can transfer the entire agreement—and your relationship—to another company (like in an acquisition) without asking you. Your data and account could end up governed by a completely different entity.

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“You can't assign the Contract without consent, but LinkedIn may assign to Affiliates or purchasers without yours.”

8.2Don'ts2 clauses

ℹ️

Broad prohibition on scraping and automation

📌Other

82-A

💬 You're prohibited from using any automated tools to collect data from LinkedIn. While this protects user privacy, it also prevents researchers, journalists, and competitors from accessing publicly available information on the platform.

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“Develop or use scrapers, crawlers, plugins, or technology copying Services data or profiles”

ℹ️

No reverse engineering allowed

📌Other

82-B

💬 You cannot examine how LinkedIn's software works, which prevents security researchers and competitors from understanding LinkedIn's systems. In some jurisdictions, this may conflict with legal rights to reverse engineer for interoperability.

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“Reverse engineer or decompile Services technology”

LinkedIn terms of service, explained in plain English — TOSTLDR