Having LinkedIn connected to your Google account can be useful for keeping your contacts and profile information synced across platforms. However, you may wish to revoke LinkedIn’s access to your Google account if you don’t want them accessing your data or no longer use LinkedIn regularly.
Why does LinkedIn have access to my Google account?
When you connect your LinkedIn account to your Google account, you are granting LinkedIn permission to access certain data from your Google account. This includes things like your Google contacts, email address, profile information, and more.
LinkedIn requests this access so they can sync information between your Google and LinkedIn accounts. For example, connecting the two allows LinkedIn to automatically add your Google contacts to your LinkedIn connections. It also keeps things like your profile name, photo, and email address in sync on both platforms.
Should I be concerned about LinkedIn’s access to my Google account?
Generally speaking, there is no need to be too concerned about LinkedIn having access to your Google account data. LinkedIn is a large, reputable company and states that they will not misuse your personal information or data.
However, some users may still wish to revoke LinkedIn’s access for privacy reasons or if they no longer use LinkedIn regularly. You never know when a company may change their data practices or have a security breach. Limiting third-party access can help minimize risks.
How to check what LinkedIn can access
Before revoking LinkedIn’s access, you can check what specific permissions you have granted them:
- Go to your Google account permissions page at https://myaccount.google.com/permissions.
- Under “Third-party apps with account access”, look for LinkedIn.
- Click on LinkedIn to see what account information they currently have access to.
Common data LinkedIn may have access to includes:
- Gmail address
- Contacts
- Google Drive files
- Calendar events
- YouTube activity
- Photos and images
How to revoke LinkedIn’s access
If you want to completely revoke LinkedIn’s permission to access any of your Google account data, here is how:
- Go to your Google account permissions page at https://myaccount.google.com/permissions.
- Under “Third-party apps with account access”, find LinkedIn and click Remove Access.
- In the pop-up box, click Remove to confirm.
LinkedIn will no longer have any access to your Google account. Keep in mind this will also unlink the two accounts, so things like your profile and contacts will no longer stay in sync.
How to selectively revoke LinkedIn’s access
If you only want to revoke some of LinkedIn’s permissions, but not all, you can do so:
- Go to your Google account permissions page at https://myaccount.google.com/permissions.
- Under “Third-party apps with account access”, click on LinkedIn.
- Uncheck the boxes for any data permissions you want to revoke.
- Scroll down and click Save.
For example, you may want to keep your basic profile synced, but revoke access to your contacts and email. You can pick and choose exactly what LinkedIn can and cannot access.
How to temporarily disable LinkedIn’s access
Another option is to temporarily suspend LinkedIn’s access if you don’t want to completely unlink the two accounts:
- Go to your Google account permissions page at https://myaccount.google.com/permissions.
- Under “Third-party apps with account access”, click on LinkedIn.
- Uncheck the box next to “Enabled.”
- Scroll down and click Save.
This will suspend LinkedIn’s permissions until you re-enable them. Your accounts will remain linked but data will stop syncing.
Other ways to control LinkedIn’s access
In addition to revoking permissions in your Google account, here are some other ways to control LinkedIn’s access:
- Adjust app permissions in LinkedIn: In your LinkedIn account settings, you can view and adjust which apps have access to your LinkedIn data.
- Remove LinkedIn’s browser extension: If you use the LinkedIn browser plugin, uninstall it to prevent access to your browsing activity.
- Revoke offline access: In Google, you can revoke LinkedIn’s access to data when you are offline or not using your account.
- Review security and privacy settings: Check your account security and privacy configurations to limit what LinkedIn can access.
Impact of revoking LinkedIn’s access
Before removing LinkedIn’s permissions, be aware it will have the following impacts:
- Your LinkedIn and Google profiles will no longer stay in sync automatically.
- Contacts and connections will not sync between LinkedIn and your Google Contacts.
- You may have to manually update profile changes or new contacts.
- Some LinkedIn services may not work properly if they rely on Google access.
In most cases, the impacts are relatively minor. But it depends on how heavily you rely on the integration between the two platforms.
Conclusion
Revoking LinkedIn’s access to your Google account is simple to do but has trade-offs to consider. Take some time to check what permissions LinkedIn currently has and evaluate if limiting their access makes sense for your personal security and privacy preferences.
With a few clicks in your Google account settings, you can permanently revoke access, temporarily disable it, or selectively remove specific permissions. Just be aware this will stop the automatic syncing between your LinkedIn and Google accounts moving forward.
Access Level | How to Change | Impact |
---|---|---|
Revoke all access | Remove completely in Google account settings | Accounts unlink, syncing stops |
Disable temporarily | Uncheck “Enabled” in Google account settings | Syncing stops until re-enabled |
Revoke selective permissions | Uncheck specific permissions in Google account settings | Only those permissions revoked |
Managing app permissions can seem tedious, but is worthwhile for protecting your personal data. Be proactive about reviewing what third-party services have access to your accounts and limit sharing only to what is absolutely necessary.
This will help minimize risks from potential data breaches, companies changing policies, acquisitions, or other scenarios where your data could be used in ways you did not intend. Stay safe online by taking control of your connected accounts!
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