How LinkedIn detects browser extensions

Re:How LinkedIn detects browser extensions by tnolet on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @03:20AM (#18854129)

But how is this data accessible to the extension? I ‘m not an expert, but it seems that this data has to publicly available for an extension to find and parse it. Extensions don’t have magic Auth rights or credentials.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How LinkedIn detects browser extensions by tylerhou on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @03:36AM (#18854190)

Extensions have the same auth rights as your logged-in account (the ability to see people who are out of network, for example). It’s against LinkedIn’s ToS to scrape data.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How LinkedIn detects browser extensions by feanaro on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @06:19AM (#18854773)

This should go both ways. It is against my ToS for LinkedIn to scrape which extensions I have installed.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How LinkedIn detects browser extensions by newsbinator on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @06:32AM (#18854830)

I'm on the anti-LinkedIn side of this scraping debate.

But that said, LinkedIn never agreed to your ToS.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How LinkedIn detects browser extensions by feanaro on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @06:49AM (#18854890)

True, and I accept this is a potentially good legal refutation of this kind of argument. However, I do consider ToS-es untenable and unjust because of this power asymmetry.

If my computing node is interacting with your computing node, we should either both be able to put restrictions on the use of obtainable information or neither.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How LinkedIn detects browser extensions by i_cant_speel on Wednesday January 09, 2019 @08:28AM (#18864501)

You an avoid them collecting your data by not visiting their site.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How LinkedIn detects browser extensions by feanaro on Wednesday January 09, 2019 @09:43AM (#18864979)

And they can avoid me storing their data by not offering it to me. Both are rather lazy arguments.

This is besides the fact that many sites (LinkedIn included) aren't very upfront about what exactly they collect. Also, after a certain point, it gets impractical to have to make this decision for each and every site you visit.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How LinkedIn detects browser extensions by tnolet on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @07:50AM (#18855161)

Yes, I get that the extension operates within the user's auth realm. But still it should not be able to access data you as a user cannot access. Maybe this is already enough to do damage though.

[ Parent | on HN ]