As users of social media, we expect certain privileges in terms of privacy when we create an account on a platform like LinkedIn. We often take it for granted that we can view profiles anonymously and that no one can see who our visitors are. However, many are unaware of the limitations of this system and the security measures that are in place. This article seeks to explore the various levels of privacy afforded to LinkedIn Premium users, including how they can see anonymous visitors, as well as how to maintain user privacy.
1. What is LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn Premium is an upgraded version of the free version of LinkedIn that provides access to advanced features and services. The cheap plan is tailored to help users enhance their profile, search for jobs and make powerful connections. In a nutshell, it’s an upgraded version of the free version of LinkedIn.
One of the biggest advantages of upgrading to LinkedIn Premium is that it provides access to career-minded features. These features include expanded search capabilities, customized job recommendations, access to shared connections, in-depth insights on who looked at your profile, insightful analytics and much more.
Another advantage is that it helps to give your profile an extra boost. Premium users can find out who viewed their profile and even use a Premium Career Page to stand out from the crowd. As a Premium user, you’ll be able to have access to more Recruiter tools like message templates, LinkedIn Learning, as well as advanced search tools, such as:
- Saving searches
- Access to additional filters
- Search by location and sector
- Look up who’s viewed a profile
- View past job titles
2. Understanding User Privacy on LinkedIn
Maintaining user privacy on LinkedIn is important. Here are a few things to consider when navigating privacy settings:
- Connection Reach – Think about which connections you’re comfortable sharing your profile with – current connections or your whole extended network?
- Profile Visibility – How visible do you want your profile to be on LinkedIn? You can adjust its visibility from public to private.
- Who Can Message You – Choose who can message your network directly. By default, this is set to connections and members of LinkedIn Groups you belong to.
For an in-depth look at managing your LinkedIn profile privacy settings, you can navigate to the ‘Privacy & Settings’ section in your profile settings. Here, you can change how the information in your profile, photos, and activity feed is shared with your network.
You can opt to make all of your activity posts visible to your network. Along with this, you can decide who can view the information in your profile, such as your past positions and experience. Lastly, ‘Profile Viewers’ gives you an insight into who’s exploring your profile.
3. Can LinkedIn Premium See Anonymous Users?
LinkedIn Premium offers many useful services and features such as InMail credits and Company Insights. One of the most popular questions asked is “Can LinkedIn Premium users see anonymous users?”
The answer to this question is no, it’s not possible for LinkedIn Premium members to see anonymous users. This is because LinkedIn protects the privacy of users that opt to remain anonymous, meaning that they cannot be seen by any other users, regardless of their subscription status.
It’s also not possible to contact or connect with anonymous users. The LinkedIn platform offers a secure and confidential messaging system that allows members to communicate or request professional advice. Anonymous users cannot be recalled or identified once they have messaged another user, so it is important not to share any personal information when communicating with other members.
Overall, it is not possible for LinkedIn Premium members to see anonymous users. However, Premium members can use the features of their subscription to search for information, review statistics and apply for jobs.
4. How to Manage Privacy Settings on LinkedIn
LinkedIn provides its users with a range of options to protect the privacy of their accounts. To take control of your privacy settings, follow the steps mentioned below:
- Open your Privacy & Settings page. The link is located on the top right-hand corner of the main page after Me. Clicking on the link will take you to the Privacy & Settings page.
- Once you’re in Privacy & Settings, go to the Account section and click on the Sharing & Privacy option. By doing this, you will be able to choose among 5 settings – Your Network, Public, Your Connections, Limited Access, No One.
- Once you select the suitable setting for each of your posts, click on the Save Settings option present at the bottom. This will store your preferences.
You also have the option to review and delete posts, hide LinkedIn activity and limit the information shared about your location on LinkedIn. Move to your respective Privacy & Settings sections to make changes or turn off specific settings.
To protect the security of your account, be sure to review the terms of service of LinkedIn and other social media sites, take measures to protect your password, and monitor third-party applications that gain access to your profile.
5. Understanding the Limitations of LinkedIn Premium User Privacy
Number of Searches
One of the most significant limitations of LinkedIn premium user privacy is the number of searches. Premium users can conduct no more than 5,000 searches per month.The 5,000-search limit and the detailed search queries that count towards the limit applies to both basic and premium user searches. With the volume of searches, it is easy to reach the limit quickly for any user, especially as businesses scale or go through periods of rapid growth.
Message Limits
Another limitation of LinkedIn premium user privacy is the message limit. For example, the Business Plus plan allows for up to 10,000 InMail messages per month. It is important to note that these numbers refer to outbound messages and it does not apply to inbound messages. In addition, LinkedIn also caps certain activities which would otherwise lead to users reaching their maximum message limits quickly. These include:
- No more than 30 messages sent to the same user within a rolling 30-day period
- No more than 25 messages per day to unique recipients
- No more than 30 introductions per month.
User Targeting
One of the other major limitations of LinkedIn premium user privacy is user targeting. In particular, there are certain constraints around different types of user targeting for premium users. For example, premium users are not allowed to target users with job titles, as it is treated as a form of discrimination. In addition, premium users cannot hide their profile from search results or choose to only show it to certain groups of users. In these cases, other non-targeting content restrictions must be followed to ensure that users’ privacy is protected. In summary, while LinkedIn Premium has access to basic user information, it does not have access to anonymous profiles. By following the general steps to ensure a secure and private LinkedIn account, users can better protect their information from being tracked by LinkedIn Premium. With this information, LinkedIn Premium users should have a better understanding of how to keep their anonymous profiles secure.
