LinkedIn is working a JavaScript fingerprinting script on your website that checks visitors’ browsers for more than 6,236 installed chrome extensions and collects various data from the device, according to a report from Fairlinked eV BleepingComputer independently verified the existence and behavior of the script through its own testing.
The script loads from a file with a random file name and detects extensions when attempting to access static file resources associated with specific extension IDs, a known technique for browser fingerprinting. Previously, the same script was identified in 2025 when searching for around 2000 extensions. TO GitHub The repository from two months ago listed 3,000 extensions. Currently, the script detects 6236 extensions.
Data collected by the LinkedIn fingerprint script
Beyond simply detecting extensions, the script collects various browser and device data such as CPU core count, available memory, screen resolution, time zone, language settings, battery status, audio details, and storage features.
Identified extensions include tools that compete directly with LinkedIn’s own sales products, such as Apollo, Lusha, and ZoomInfo, as well as grammar and language tools, tax software, and other categories that appear unrelated to the LinkedIn platform.
LinkedIn explanation for extension scanning
LinkedIn confirms that an extension scan is underway. In a statement to BleepingComputer, the company explained that this detection is used to identify extensions that extract member data without permission or break LinkedIn Terms of Serviceas well as to monitor unusual data collection activities that could affect the stability of the platform.
“We do not use this data to infer sensitive information about members.” LinkedIn stated.
The company also links the BrowserGate report to a developer behind a LinkedIn-related browser extension called Teamfluence, whose account was restricted for violating terms of service, including scraping. A German court rejected the developer’s request for a preliminary injunction and ruled that LinkedIn’s actions did not constitute unlawful obstruction. LinkedIn describes the report as an attempt to publicly reopen that dispute.
Unverified claims and open questions
BleepingComputer says it was unable to independently verify the report’s claims about how the collected data is used or shared with third parties. The connection between extension detection results and LinkedIn’s enforcement actions described in the Fairlinked report has not been verified.
Other companies have already used this type of browser fingerprinting. In 2021, eBay It was discovered to run JavaScript port scans on visitors’ devices. Later reports identified the same script in use at Citibank, TD Bank, Equifax, and several other organizations.
LinkedIn has not revealed how long the extension’s scanning script has been active, how the collected data is stored, or what retention policies apply.
