LinkedIn, a Microsoft owned website is currently taking legal action regarding the public data being scraped off by other websites and firms.
The website is a widely used and accepted online portfolio that compiles a person’s personal information together with past important accomplishments and even job experiences. This particular service is effective and is being used by countless entrepreneurs and freelancers.
LinkedIn’s Public Data
HiQ labs were accused by LinkedIn for using their user’s public information last May. The Social Networking Site did something by sending a cease and desist letter for the HiQ lab’s activities regarding with site’s users' data.
HiQ labs is a third party app or website that monitors the site’s profile accounts for those companies who inquired and applied for their services.
They also added that they don’t inform bosses and managers about a certain person’s profile change that can greatly affect job relations. LinkedIn appealed to court because this can be a violation of some Terms and Services.
On a reply, HiQ labs said that they will dismiss the site’s claims about potential violations.
HiQ labs stand on the allegations
A spokeswoman of HiQ labs said that their firm doesn’t invade private sections of LinkedIn and that they don't violate any particular law.
She added that HiQ labs only provide public data from LinkedIn accounts to their employer and they don’t steal nor sell any private data from the social networking site.
According to her, the site doesn’t actually own the data the users submit to them.
They are simply owned by the users and they only use the website as a platform to publicly display their profile. All of these users' data can be also viewed through by different persons by the use of the internet.
The company’s complaints were argued upon by Judge Edward Chen.
The judge says that the CFAA or the US Computer Fraud and Abuse act doesn’t apply to this particular case.
The decade old law’s authors couldn’t even have possibly predicted this kind of mishaps and scenario to which, bills like this won’t apply to this case.
The social networking site is clearly just trying to protect user’s security but because of this particular decree, it may be impossible to attain.
In comparison, LinkedIn has been using third-party apps to utilize and improve their data managing and organization while on the other hand, HiQ labs take advantage over the public data that are on and being displayed on the website.
