LinkedIn’s updated privacy policy covers wider profile sharing

LinkedIn sounds like it’s getting a little less buttoned down under Microsoft — the social network has a new version of its Terms of Service going into effect on June 7, 2017, and the changes include a new privacy policy that covers new and upcoming LinkedIn features that aim to give profiles more visibility, and to make it easier to actually achieve the social “links” implied in the professional network’s name.

The new Privacy Policy covers LinkedIn’s decision to open up profile visibility to “certain third-party services,” in much the same way it makes that info available to search engines now to help you get more SEO magic. This is something that’s enabled by default, but LinkedIn does make it easy to opt out if you’re not into that kind of expanded distribution, and you can always specify what kind of specifics your profile contains.

LinkedIn also will be seeking out your various plaudits and accomplishments, and will suggest that you share those with your network to better demonstrate your value, I guess. Again, this is something you can opt out of if you’re not cool with the idea.

The social network also includes updated terms around productivity bots, a relatively recent addition to the LinkedIn arsenal. This is actually one of the opt-in items on the list, and if you do choose to participate, LinkedIn will offer to help your with messages by autogenerating simple responses, handling meeting scheduling or even breaking the ice (which should really not be a supremely involved experience on a professional social networking platform).

More interesting than its ability to support virtual connections, LinkedIn’s new policy covers an “upcoming feature” that will help LinkedIn members meet up IRL, at conferences, events and meetings where they’re already in relative proximity to one another

Again the new terms (which also include some modifications to the User Agreement set out by LinkedIn) don’t go into effect until June 7, so people have some time to parse them in greater detail. What’s interesting about this now is that it provides more insight into Microsoft’s priorities as it moves forward with LinkedIn’s product development.