LinkedIn is a popular social media platform used by professionals to network and find job opportunities. When you sign up for LinkedIn, it will ask to access your email contacts so it can find connections among them to expand your network. However, some users are uncomfortable with LinkedIn accessing their personal email contacts. Here’s what you need to know about stopping LinkedIn from accessing your email contacts.
Should I be concerned about LinkedIn accessing my contacts?
LinkedIn asks for access to your email contacts in order to help build your professional network on their platform. They look for contacts that are already LinkedIn members and connect you with them. This allows LinkedIn to expand your network quickly when you first join.
However, some users are understandably concerned about a third party having access to their personal email contacts. LinkedIn states they keep your contact information secure and do not use it for advertising purposes. But ultimately it comes down to your personal privacy preferences whether you’re comfortable granting LinkedIn access.
How does LinkedIn access my contacts?
When you first sign up for LinkedIn, they will ask you to verify your email address. After verification, LinkedIn will automatically import your email contacts and look for connections among them.
LinkedIn is able to access your contacts through the following methods:
- Gmail API access if you have a Gmail account
- Access your contact list file if you use Outlook or another desktop email program
- Upload your contacts file directly to LinkedIn
So when you see LinkedIn accessing your contacts, it’s because you directly gave them permission to do so in order to maximize connections on the platform.
How to stop LinkedIn from accessing contacts
If you are uncomfortable with LinkedIn having access to your email contacts, there are steps you can take to stop contact access:
Revoke API access
For Gmail users, LinkedIn utilizes the Gmail API to access your contact list. Here’s how to revoke this access:
- Go to your Google account permissions page
- Under “Apps with account access”, find LinkedIn and click “Revoke Access”
- Confirm you want to revoke API access to your Gmail contacts
This will immediately revoke LinkedIn’s ability to access your Gmail contacts.
Disconnect LinkedIn from email program
If you use Outlook, Yahoo Mail, or another email program, there may be LinkedIn integration that allows contact access. Here’s how to disconnect:
- Open your email settings
- Find the LinkedIn integration options
- Revoke LinkedIn’s access to your contacts through this integration
With access revoked, LinkedIn will no longer be able to automatically pull contacts from your email program.
Delete uploaded contacts
Check your LinkedIn settings to see if you previously uploaded your email contacts directly to LinkedIn:
- Go to your LinkedIn account settings
- Click “Contacts”
- Look for any uploaded contact lists and delete them
This will remove any contacts that LinkedIn is keeping on record from a previous upload.
Limit contact access when signing up
If you’re signing up for a new LinkedIn account, you can limit initial contact access:
- When asked to verify email, click “I’ll do this later”
- On upload contacts page, click “I don’t want to do this”
This will allow you to create an account without granting API or contact list access. However, LinkedIn will continue prompting for access to contacts periodically.
Preventing future contact access
After following the steps above to remove LinkedIn’s current access to your contacts, you also need to prevent recurring access. Here are some tips:
- Don’t connect your email account within LinkedIn settings
- Select the option to stop reminding you to upload contacts
- Revoke LinkedIn app permission if prompted on mobile
With vigilance, you can successfully restrict LinkedIn from accessing your personal contacts now and in the future.
Is stopping contact access worth it?
At the end of the day, whether stopping LinkedIn from accessing your contacts is worth the effort depends on your personal privacy preferences:
Pros
- Maintains email contact privacy
- Avoids connections you don’t want
- Controls your LinkedIn network growth
Cons
- Prevents automated network expansion
- Reduces ease of building an extensive network
- Requires monitoring LinkedIn’s requests for access
For many users, the benefits of increased privacy outweigh the disadvantages of a smaller network. But the choice ultimately comes down to your personal preferences.
Conclusion
LinkedIn provides easy access to a powerful professional network, but some users understandably hesitate to grant full contact access. Thankfully, LinkedIn does provide options to limit or revoke contact access with the right steps. You can remove current access permissions and prevent future access, though it requires vigilance. Consider your personal preferences regarding privacy vs network growth to decide if restricting LinkedIn contact access makes sense for you.
Method | How To Stop Access |
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Revoke Gmail API Access |
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Disconnect from Email Program |
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Delete Uploaded Contacts |
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On Signup
- Click “I’ll verify email later” when prompted
- Select “I don’t want to do this” on contacts upload page
Prevent Future Access
- Don’t connect email account in settings
- Stop reminders to upload contacts
- Revoke app permission on mobile
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
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