Just like any other social network, LinkedIn has a huge collection of your personal information that helps it determine the sponsored ads and other content that it shows you. In the same sense that you do a privacy checkup for platforms like Facebook, you should also make sure that you do the same for LinkedIn.
The same reasoning applies to the content and other information you share on the platform, so here are 5 settings to check or change for a more secure LinkedIn.
1. Available Personal Info
While there are countless fields and spaces to list every piece of personal information minutiae, there is no reason that LinkedIn needs all of this information. Your personal email (not your professional email, that’s fine) and your phone number should absolutely be kept off the platform, and if present, they should be removed.
Go to the “Sign In & Security” tab of the settings menu. First, check the “Email Addresses” section, and make sure that only your professional email is listed. Then move on to “Phone Numbers”, and remove everything, there is no reason that LinkedIn needs that and no good can come of it. If you use TFA to sign in, switch to an authentication app, and set the “Two-Step Verification” settings to match
Before you wrap up, check the “Data Visibility” settings to see how your data is used. You can also set restrictions on who can see or download your email address, or set it to “Only visible to me”. Be sure you also disable “Profile Discovery” features related to email and phone number.
2. What’s Seen On Your Public Profile
Public LinkedIn profiles are usually clogged with junk, and that is even visible to people you aren’t connected to. Any content you have interacted with recently will also be there, listed above any of your professional information.
In the “Data Visibility” settings you will be able to edit your public profile. You will see your profile as someone else would, and have the opportunity to edit what’s there as well as who can see it. Depending on the item you’re changing, common options for visibility include “Public”, “All LinkedIn Members”, or “Only visible to me”.
Additional sections that you can edit will be the “Articles & Activity”, as well as details about your job history and education. Check the “Representing You Organization & Interests” section to prevent LinkedIn from using your profile information and pictures to create sponsored content.
3. Who Can See Your Activity
This is not only a matter of cybersecurity but also one of personal security. While LinkedIn is a social platform, they make it challenging to keep many forms of activity private. In the “Data Visibility” section you will be able to “Manage Active Status”, as well as change the visibility of who can see your profile and story.
Then go to “Share profile updates with your network” to select if your connections get notifications about your profile activity and professional milestones. There is also an option to choose whether or not your connections are notified when your name is in the news. “Mentions & Tags” options are here as well, so you can control who can tag you.
4. Information Viewable To Potential Employers
LinkedIn tends to reveal a lot of your personal information to potential employers. This can be controlled from the “Job Application Settings” tab, allowing you to choose what the platform shares when you use their internal application feature. Make sure you check the “Sharing your profile when you click Apply” section, and change it to no.
5. LinkedIn Data Collection
Considering the cybersecurity issues that LinkedIn has had in the past, such as password hash leaks and so on, making sure they only have access to the data you permit them access to is vital. Make sure you delete any “Salary Data on LinkedIn” that is in the “Data Privacy” settings, along with removing any demographic info, and social, economic, and workplace research.
Changing Your Privacy Settings On LinkedIn
There you have it. 5 of the most important settings or features to pay attention to on LinkedIn, and how to change them if you need to. Once you make these changes you will begin to enjoy a more private and secure experience on LinkedIn, as well as boost your resistance to cybersecurity risks.
If you and your team would like help with Cybersecurity, get in touch, we’d love to help.
