Post #916778

2026-04-02 19:41 UTC

since that browsergate site about LinkedIn seems to be gaining traction I figure I should mention: yes, LinkedIn does do what's being claimed (though, it's that it probes for specific extensions you're running, using features in chrome's API - it doesn't "search your computer")it does seem to have been doing this since at least as far back as 2017, and there has been intermittent reporting on it over the yearsI'm fairly confident the copy on the site was generated by (or at least went through) an LLM, so idk that this site is the best way to spread the issue aroundedit: and as someone else noted in the replies, looking through the list of extensions of scans for... they're pretty much all "AI"/scraper/automation plugins. so, should LinkedIn be doing this, or even able to do this in Chrome? no! but also, it does seem like the stuff they're scanning for is all extensions that shouldn't exist to begin with tbh edit 2: please see this follow-up post which proves this is just a shitty campaign by people who made an addon called "Teamfluence" that got blocked by LinkedIn

Replies (4)

@b@mrrp.place 2026-04-02 20:15

@vantiss just read through the site before seeing this post and yeah, it definitely seems to have been written by an llm :( among other things, there are so many "it's not X, it's Y" structures in places where it is extremely unnecessary. and also, one of the repos they cite in the Credits page for "running this research" has a .claude folder in it

Open ##1215675
@moses_izumi@fe.disroot.org 2026-04-02 21:24

@kopper joked that the browsergate site was created by a vengeful plugin developer: "just say which one of those [browser plugins] is one you made. we all know the true reason" "yes we all know the DMA requires them to accomodate.... checks notes... "[brand] LinkedIn Automation - Smart LinkedIn automation with AI-personalized outreach. " https://not-brain.d.on-t.work/notes/akl6kqe0d6r30jcb @vantiss

Open ##1215677
@unchartedworlds@scicomm.xyz 2026-04-02 22:31

@vantiss Thanks for this, that sets it into perspective.

Open ##1215678
@Sobex@social.sciences.re 2026-04-03 05:04

@vantiss Does this LinkedIn scandal apply to other browser / browser engines ? Or just Chrome / Chromium / Blink ?

Open ##1215679