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Privacy Policy
LinkedIn Alumni Network Privacy Policy
Your Privacy Matters
This Privacy Policy applies when you use our Services (described below) for LinkedIn Alumni. We offer users choices about the data we collect, use and share as described in this Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.
Table of Contents
- Data We Collect
- How We Use Your Data
- How We Share Information
- Your Rights and Choices
- Additional Information for California Residents
- Other Important Information
Introduction
The LinkedIn Alumni Network is designed to connect you with other LinkedIn Alumni and to help you continue your professional journey after leaving LinkedIn. Our registered users (“Alumni,”) share their professional identities, engage with other Alumni, exchange knowledge and professional insights, post and view relevant content, learn about events, and find business and career opportunities posted by other Alumni. Content and data on some of our Services is viewable to non-alumni (“Visitors”). Our Privacy Policy applies to all Alumni and Visitors (collectively, “Users,” “you,” “your”) to our Services. Beyond this Privacy Policy, your use of our Services is also subject to our Terms of Service.
We use the term “Designated Countries” to refer to countries in the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
Services
This Privacy Policy, including our Cookie Policy, applies to your use of our Services for Alumni. This Privacy Policy only applies to the LinkedIn Alumni Network website, linkedinalumninetwork.com, and Alumni Portal (“Services”) and does not apply to LinkedIn.com, LinkedIn-branded apps, or any other LinkedIn.com-related sites, apps, communications or services. For information regarding how data collected on LinkedIn.com or other LinkedIn-branded services is collected, used or shared, please review the LinkedIn Privacy Policy.
Data Controllers and Contracting Parties
If you are located in the Designated Countries, LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company (“LinkedIn Ireland”) is the controller of personal data provided to, collected by, or processed in connection with the Services.
If you are outside of the Designated Countries, LinkedIn Corporation is the controller of personal data provided to, collected , or processed in connection with our Services.
Changes
LinkedIn (“we” or “us”) can modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will provide notice through our Services or by other means to provide you the opportunity to review the changes before they become effective. If you object to any changes, you may close your account by contacting linkedinalumni@linkedin.com.
You acknowledge that your continued use of our Services after we publish or send a notice about our changes to this Privacy Policy means that the collection, use and sharing of your personal data is subject to the updated Privacy Policy, as of its effective date.
Use of the Services is voluntary. To the extent you choose to use the Services, we may collect data about you as follows:
1.1. Data You Provide To Us
You provide data to create an Alumni account with us.
Registration
To create an Alumni Portal account, we ask you to provide data including your name, email address, city of residence, employment status, and a password. In order to verify your prior employment at LinkedIn, we also ask you to provide your prior employment type, job role and department, corporate email address, and office location. We may compare this information against our employee records to confirm your affiliation. You may also choose to provide additional information, such as a profile photo, personal summary, employment experience, mailing address, phone number, and information about your prior affiliation with LinkedIn Employee Resource Groups.
If you register by connecting your LinkedIn.com profile, we will use your LinkedIn.com information such as your name, email address, profile photo, and profile information to populate your Alumni Portal account. Note that if you choose to register by connecting your LinkedIn account, there may be certain categories of information that cannot be edited from within the Alumni Portal and will you instead need to change this information from your LinkedIn.com profile.
Profile
You have choices about what information you share on your Alumni Portal profile and you can choose to add additional information, such as your employment information, photo, introduction, and location. You don’t have to provide additional information on your Alumni Portal profile; however, adding additional profile information helps you to get more from our Services, including helping connect you with fellow Alumni, groups, and events. It’s your choice whether to include sensitive information on your Alumni Portal profile and to make that sensitive information public. Please do not post or add personal data to your profile that you would not want to be publicly available.
Posting and Uploading
We collect personal data from you when you provide, post or upload it to our Services, such as when you post to your feed, post a job, leave a comment, fill out a form, respond to a survey, or register for an event on our Services.
You don’t have to post or upload personal data; though if you don’t, it may limit your ability to grow and engage with other Alumni on our Services.
1.2. Data From Others
Others may post or write about you.
Content and News
You and others may post content that includes information about you (as part of articles or posts) on our Services. We also may collect public information about you, such as professional-related news and accomplishments, and make it available as part of our Services, including in “Alumni Spotlights.”
1.3. Service Use
We log your visits and use of our Services.
We log usage data when you visit or otherwise use our Services, such as when you view or click on content, perform a search, share content, or post jobs. We use log-ins, analytics cookies, and internet protocol (“IP”) addresses to identify you and log your use.
1.4. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We collect data through cookies and similar technologies.
As further described in our Cookie Policy, we and our partners may use cookies and similar technologies such as pixels and local storage to collect data (e.g., device IDs) to recognize you and your device(s) on, off and across different services and devices where you have engaged with our Services. You can opt out from our use of data from cookies and similar technologies that track your behavior on the sites of others. You can manage these settings by clicking Cookie Settings from the site footer.
1.5. Your Device and Location
When you visit or leave our Services we receive the URL of both the site you came from and the one you go to and the time of your visit. We also get information about your network and device (e.g., IP address, proxy server, operating system, web browser and add-ons, device identifier and features, or cookie IDs and/or ISP).
We may infer your more general location information (for example, your IP address may indicate your general geographic region).
1.6. Communications
If you communicate through our Services, we learn about that.
If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you. For example, when you contact us for support, we will receive your name, email address, the contents of the message or attachments that you may send to us, and other information you choose to provide. If you communicate with other Alumni through our Services, we receive your communications and information about you when you send, receive, or engage with messages.
If you subscribe to our newsletter, then we will collect certain information from you, such as your email address. When we send you emails, we may track whether you open them, whether you click any links in the email, the amount of time spent reading, and more to learn how to deliver a better customer experience and improve our Services.
1.7. Other
We are improving our Services, which means we get new data and create new ways to use data.
Our Services are dynamic, and we often introduce new features, which may require the collection of new information. If we collect materially different personal data or materially change how we collect, use or share your personal data, we will attempt to notify you and may also modify this Privacy Policy.
We use your data to provide, support, personalize and develop our Services.
How we use your personal data will depend on how you use our Services and the choices you make in your settings. We use the personal data that we have about you to provide and personalize our Services, including with the help of automated systems and inferences we make, so that our Services can be more relevant and useful to you.
2.1. Services
Our Services help you connect with other alumni, find and be found for work and business opportunities, and stay informed.
We use your data to authorize access to our Services and honor your settings.
Stay Connected
Our Services allow you to stay in touch and up to date with fellow Alumni. Subject to your and their settings, you will be able to search for Alumni in order to contact them and exchange professional opportunities. We use data about you, such as your profile, to help other alumni find your profile.
Stay Informed
Our Services allow you to stay informed about news and events of interest to Alumni.
Career
Our Services allow you to explore careers, and seek out, and be found for, career opportunities. Your profile can be found by Alumni looking to hire or be hired by you. We will use your data to recommend jobs, and show you and others relevant Alumni contacts (e.g., who work at a company, in an industry, or location).
2.2. Communications
We will send you messages about the availability of our Services, security, or other service-related issues. We may also send messages about job and business opportunities. Please be aware that you cannot opt out of receiving some service messages from us, including security and legal notices. We also enable communications between you and other Alumni through our Services.
2.3. Marketing
We use Alumni and Visitor data and content for communications promoting membership, such as developing and providing promotional materials that may be useful, relevant, valuable, or otherwise of interest to you.
2.4. Developing Services
We develop our Services and conduct research. We use data, including feedback, to conduct research and development for our Services in order to provide you and others with a better, more intuitive and personalized experience, drive engagement on our Services, and help connect Alumni to each other.
2.5. Customer Support
We communicate with you and fix problems. We use data (which can include your communications) to investigate, respond to and resolve complaints and for Service issues (e.g., bugs).
2.6 Insights That Do Not Identify You
We use your data to produce and share insights that do not identify you. For example, we may use your data to generate statistics about our Alumni, their profession, or industry.
2.7. Security and Investigations
We use your data (including your communications) for security purposes or to prevent or investigate possible fraud or other violations of our Terms of Service or other legal rights, and/or attempts to harm our Alumni, Visitors or others. We also use your data as may be required by applicable laws and regulations or requested by any judicial process or governmental agency.
2.8. Other Purposes
We may use your data for other purposes in line with this Privacy Policy and for other purposes for which we provide specific notice at the time the information is collected.
3.1. Our Services
Any data that you include on your profile and any content you post or social action (e.g., likes, comments, shares) you take on our Services will be seen by others, consistent with your settings.
Profile
Your profile is visible to all Alumni users of our Services. Your name and other profile information is searchable by other Alumni. Although your profile is public by default, below in the “Your Choices” section of this Privacy Policy, we describe the controls that you can use to limit the sharing of certain information. We are not responsible for other’s use of your available information, so you should carefully consider whether and what to post or how to identify yourself on the Services.
Posts, Likes, Comments, Messages
Our Services allow viewing and sharing information including through posts, likes, comments, and messages.
- When you share an article or post content in the Alumni Portal, it can be viewed by other Alumni and re-shared, including your name (and photo if you have provided one).
- When you post a job it will be viewable to other Alumni.
- If you post in a group, posts are visible to others in the group. Your membership in groups is public and part of your profile, but you can change visibility in your settings.
- When you like or re-share or comment on another’s content, others will be able to view these “social actions” and associate it with you (e.g., your name, profile and photo if you provided it).
3.2. Affiliates
We may share your personal data with our affiliates for any of the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
3.3. Service Providers
We may use others to help us with our Services.
We use others to help us provide our Services. They will have access to your information as reasonably necessary to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for other purposes.
3.4. Analytics Partners
We use analytics services such as Google Analytics to collect and process certain analytics data. These services may also collect information about your use of other websites, apps, and online resources. You can learn about Google’s practices by going to https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/, and opt-out of them by downloading the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
3.5. Legal Disclosures
We may need to share your data when we believe it’s required by law or to help protect the rights and safety of you, us or others.
It is possible that we will need to disclose information about you when required by law, subpoena, or other legal process or if we have a good faith belief that disclosure is reasonably necessary to (1) investigate, prevent or take action regarding suspected or actual illegal activities or to assist government enforcement agencies; (2) enforce our agreements with you; (3) investigate and defend ourselves against any third-party claims or allegations; (4) protect the security or integrity of our Services (such as by sharing with companies facing similar threats); or (5) exercise or protect our legal rights and safety of our Alumni, personnel or others. We attempt to notify Alumni and Visitors about legal demands for their personal data when appropriate in our judgment, unless prohibited by law or court order or when the request is an emergency. We may dispute such demands when we believe, in our discretion, that the requests are overbroad, vague or lack proper authority, but we do not promise to challenge every demand.
3.6. Change in Control or Sale
We may share your data when our business is sold to others, but it must continue to be used in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
We can also share your personal data as part of a sale, merger or change in control, or in preparation for any of these events. Any other entity which buys us or part of our business will have the right to continue to use your data, but only in the manner set out in this Privacy Policy unless you agree otherwise.
3.7. Consent
We may also disclose information from or about you or your devices with your permission.
4.1. Data Retention
We keep most of your personal data for as long as your account is open.
We generally retain your personal data as long as you keep your account open or as needed to provide you Services, or as required by applicable law. This includes data you or others provided to us and data generated or inferred from your use of our Services. Even if you only use our Services every few years, we will retain your information and keep your profile open, unless you close your account or request that we delete your data. In some cases, we choose to retain certain information (e.g., insights about Services use) in a depersonalized or aggregated form.
4.2. Rights to Access and Control Your Personal Data
You can access or delete your personal data. You have many choices about how your data is collected, used and shared.
We provide choices about the collection, use and sharing of your data, from deleting or correcting data you include in your profile and controlling the visibility of profile information, cookie opt-outs and communication controls. We offer you settings to control and manage the personal data we have about you.
For personal data that we have about you, you can:
- Delete Data: You can ask us to erase or delete all or some of your personal data (e.g., if it is no longer necessary to provide Services to you).
- Change, Update or Correct Data: You can edit some of your personal data through your account. You can also ask us to change, update or fix your data in certain cases, particularly if it’s inaccurate.
- Object to, or Limit or Restrict, Use of Data: You can ask us to stop using all or some of your personal data (e.g., if we have no legal right to keep using it) or to limit our use of it (e.g., if your personal data is inaccurate or unlawfully held).
- Right to Access and/or Take Your Data: You can ask us for a copy of your personal data and can ask for a copy of personal data you provided in machine readable form.
You may also contact us using the contact information below, and we will consider your request in accordance with applicable laws. Before meeting your request, we may ask you to provide reasonable information to verify your identity. Please note that that there are exceptions and limitations to each of these rights, and that while any changes you make will be reflected in active user databases instantly or within a reasonable period of time, we may retain information for backups, archiving, prevention of fraud and abuse, analytics, satisfaction of legal obligations, or where we otherwise reasonably believe that we have a legitimate reason to do so.
Residents in the Designated Countries and other regions may have additional rights under their laws. Residents in the Designated Countries can, in addition to the above, exercise their right to data portability, and lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, including in their country of residence, place of work or where an incident took place. California Residents have additional rights described in the “Additional Information for California Residents” section of our Privacy Policy.
4.3. Account Closure
You can update your account and profile information or close your account through your profile settings.
4.4. Communications
You can control your communication preferences in your account Settings. You can also unsubscribe from our promotional emails via the link provided in the emails. Even if you opt-out of receiving promotional messages from us, you will continue to receive administrative messages from us.
4.4. Profile Sharing Preferences
We provide you with settings to allow you to set your sharing preferences for specific profile information. Certain information may always be publicly available to other Alumni, and other information is made publicly available to others by default. To change whether certain information is publicly viewable, you can adjust the settings in your account.
If you choose to register for an Alumni Portal account by connecting your LinkedIn.com profile you can disconnect your LinkedIn.com profile by clicking on the “LinkedIn Connected” button when editing your profile.
5. Additional Information for California Residents
This section describes the rights of California residents under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 and its implementing regulations, as amended or superseded from time to time (“CCPA”). For the purposes of this section, “personal information” means information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or household, or as otherwise defined by the CCPA. “Personal Information” does not include information that is: lawfully made available from government records, deidentified or aggregated, or otherwise excluded from the scope of the CCPA.
The CCPA Categories of Personal Information We Collect and Disclose
We collect and disclose for a business purpose the following categories of personal information:
- Contact Information and Identifiers (e.g., real name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, account name, or other similar identifiers)
- Personal information described in Cal. Civ. Code §1798.80(e) (e.g., name, address, telephone number, education, employment history, credit card or debit card number)
- Commercial Information (e.g., information regarding products or services obtained or considered)
- Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity Information (e.g., browsing history, search history, and information regarding your interactions with our Services)
- Sensory Information (e.g., visual and electronic information)
- Professional or Employment-Related Information (e.g. job application information, or past and current job history)
- Inferences (e.g. inferences drawn from any personal information to create a profile about a consumer reflecting the consumer’s preferences, characteristics, predispositions, behavior, and attitudes)
The “Data We Collect” section of this Privacy Policy describes the categories of sources from which we collect your personal information. “How We Use Your Data” describes the purposes for which we collect your personal information. “How We Share Information” sets forth the types of third parties with which we share your personal information.
If you are a California resident, you may exercise the following rights:
Requests for Information
Like all our users, you may request a copy of your personal information. Authorized agents will be required to verify their identity. We also will require Alumni to confirm, by email from their primary account email address, that they granted the agent permission to submit the request. Under the CCPA, you can also request that we disclose how we have collected, used, and shared your personal information over the past 12 months, including the categories of personal information we collected and our purposes for doing so; the categories of sources for that information; the categories of third parties with whom we shared it for a business purpose and our purposes for doing so. Businesses that sell personal information (we do not) must make additional disclosures.
Requests for access to personal information are subject to our ability to reasonably verify your identity in light of the information requested and pursuant to relevant CCPA requirements, limitations, and regulations.
Your Right to Delete Personal Information
You can request that we delete your personal information by closing your Alumni account. You also can request that we delete specific information. You may close your account or request changes by contacting linkedinalumni@linkedin.com. We honor such requests, unless an exception applies, such as when the information is necessary to complete the transaction or contract for which it was collected or when it is being used to detect, prevent, or investigate security incidents, comply with laws, identify and repair bugs or ensure another consumer’s ability to exercise their free speech rights or other rights provided by law.
Nondiscrimination for exercising your CCPA Rights
The CCPA prohibits businesses from discriminating against you for exercising your rights under the law. Such discrimination may include denying services, charging different prices or rates for services, providing a different level or quality of services, or suggesting that you will receive a different level or quality of goods or services as a result of exercising your rights.
Your Right to Notification
Under the CCPA, a business cannot collect new categories of personal information or use them for materially different purposes without first notifying you.
6. Other Important Information
6.1. Security
We monitor for and try to prevent security breaches. Please use the security features available through our Services.
We implement security safeguards designed to protect your data, such as HTTPS. We regularly monitor our systems for possible vulnerabilities and attacks. However, we cannot warrant the security of any information that you send us. There is no guarantee that data may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards.
6.2. Children’s Privacy
We do not knowingly collect, maintain, or use personal information from children under 13 years of age, and no part of our Services are directed to children.
6.3. Third Parties
Our Services may contain links to other websites, products, or services that we do not own or operate. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. Please be aware that this Privacy Policy does not apply to your activities on these third party services or any information you disclose to these third parties. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any information to them.
6.4. Cross-Border Data Transfers
We store and use your data outside your country.
We process data both inside and outside of the United States and rely on legally-provided mechanisms to lawfully transfer data across borders, such as European Commission-approved Standard Contractual Clauses. Countries where we process data may have laws which are different from, and potentially not as protective as, the laws of your own country. If you choose to use the Services from Designated Countries or other regions of the world, then please note that you are transferring your data outside of those regions for storage and processing. We may also transfer data from Designated Countries to third countries, including the United States, as needed to perform the Services that you have requested from us, or with your consent.
6.5. Lawful Bases for Processing
We will only collect and process personal data about residents in Designated Countries where we have lawful bases. Lawful bases include consent (where you have given consent), contract (where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (e.g., to deliver the Services you have requested), compliance with a legal obligation (e.g. to comply with tax and accounting obligations), and our or a third party’s “legitimate interests” (e.g. for product development and internal analytics purposes, and otherwise to improve the safety, security and performance of our Services).
Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw or decline your consent at any time and where we rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object. When you withdraw your consent, we will apply your preferences going forward and this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before you withdrew your consent. If you have any questions about the lawful bases upon which we collect and use your personal data, please contact our Data Protection Officer here.
6.6. Direct Marketing and Do Not Track Signals
We currently do not share personal data with third parties for their direct marketing purposes without your permission. There is no accepted standard on how to respond to “do not track” signals, and we do not respond to such signals.
6.7. Contact Information
You can contact us or use other options to resolve any questions.
If you have questions or complaints regarding this Policy, please contact linkedinalumni@linkedin.com.
Residents in the Designated Countries and other regions may also have the right to contact our Data Protection Officer here.