As a professional social networking site used by millions for networking and job searching, LinkedIn collects and stores large amounts of personal data on its users. This leads many LinkedIn members to wonder, “How long does LinkedIn keep my data?”
LinkedIn’s data retention policies
According to LinkedIn’s privacy policy, they will retain user data for as long as the account is active. If a user deletes their account, LinkedIn states they will remove the personal data within 30 days. However, some data may remain in backup copies for up to 90 days.
Here are LinkedIn’s specific data retention policies for common user data types:
Data Type | Retention Policy |
---|---|
Profile data | Retained until account is deleted |
Connections data | Retained until account is deleted |
Groups data | Retained until account is deleted |
Direct messages | Retained until account is deleted |
Ip addresses | Retained for up to 6 months |
Search history | Retained for up to 18 months |
Deleted account data | Removed within 30 days. Some data may remain in backups for up to 90 days. |
As shown in the table, most user data on LinkedIn is retained indefinitely until the account is deleted. After account deletion, LinkedIn says it will remove the data within 30 days, with some potential exceptions for backup data retention up to 90 days.
How long does LinkedIn keep posts and activity?
In addition to profile and account data, LinkedIn also retains data on user posts, activity, and engagement on the platform. Here are LinkedIn’s retention policies for this type of activity data:
- Posts, comments, and reactions – Retained until account is deleted or post is deleted
- Searches – Retained for up to 18 months
- Page visits – Retained for up to 30 days
- Recommendations – Retained until account is deleted
- Shares, likes, and follows – Retained until account is deleted
LinkedIn states that if a user deletes a specific post or content they shared, it will be removed from LinkedIn within 30 days. However, any public interactions, such as likes, comments, or shares from others will remain even if the original post is deleted.
How long does LinkedIn keep inactive and closed account data?
For inactive accounts, LinkedIn’s data retention policies depend on how long the account has been inactive:
- Inactive for up to 6 months – All data retained
- Inactive for 6-12 months – Profile data retained, other data may be deleted
- Inactive for over 12 months – Account may be permanently closed with data deleted
LinkedIn reserves the right to close accounts that have had no activity for over one year. When an account is permanently closed, either by the user or by LinkedIn, here is how long LinkedIn will retain data:
- Profile data – Deleted within 30 days
- Connections data – Deleted within 30 days
- Groups data – Deleted within 30 days
- Direct messages – Deleted within 30 days
- As mentioned, some data may remain in backups for up to 90 days after account closure
How long does LinkedIn keep ad data?
For advertisers using LinkedIn’s marketing and advertising products, LinkedIn retains common advertising data as follows:
- Impressions data – Retained for up to 28 months
- Clicks data – Retained for up to 28 months
- Billing data – Retained for up to 11 years for accounting purposes
- Demographic targeting data – Retained until account is closed
- Remarketing lists – Retained until deleted by advertiser
Any data associated with closed advertiser accounts follows the same 30-day deletion policy as closed user accounts. Backup copies of advertising data may also be retained for up to 90 days after account closure.
How long does LinkedIn keep analytics data?
For LinkedIn Pages admins using tools like LinkedIn Analytics to monitor page traffic and follower engagement, here is how long LinkedIn retains analytic data:
- Page views – Retained for up to 30 days
- Post impressions – Retained for up to 2 years
- Follower demographics – Retained for up to 28 months
- Follower growth – Retained for up to 28 months
- Referral traffic – Retained for up to 30 days
- Top content – Retained for up to 2 years
Admins can request deletion of follower demographic data within LinkedIn Analytics. Other analytic data is retained by LinkedIn for the durations listed above.
Strategies for limiting LinkedIn data retention
If you want to minimize the amount of personal data retained by LinkedIn, here are a few strategies:
- Delete old connections and groups you no longer need
- Regularly delete or hide outdated posts and content
- Delete your account when you want to leave LinkedIn permanently
- Adjust privacy settings to minimize data visibility
- Opt out of personalized ads to limit ad targeting data
- Use an alternate email address not tied to your identity
However, even if you delete your account or specific content, be aware LinkedIn may retain some data in backups for up to 90 days. The only way to ensure complete removal of all data is to never use the LinkedIn platform in the first place.
Legal requirements for LinkedIn data retention
In addition to its own data policies, LinkedIn is required to retain some personal data to comply with legal and government requirements:
- U.S. SEC regulations require retaining published posts for 3 years
- EU regulations require retaining published posts for 6 months after deletion
- U.S. and EU regulations require retaining advertising data for up to 10 years
- Government surveillance laws may require retaining data for extended periods
So even if you delete your account and content, LinkedIn may be obliged to retain certain data like published posts and advertising data to meet legal compliance requirements.
LinkedIn account deletion process
If you do wish to delete your LinkedIn account, here is the process to request account closure and data deletion:
- Login to your LinkedIn account settings
- Under “Account management” select “Close your account”
- Follow prompts to enter your password and confirm account closure
- LinkedIn will flag your account for deletion within 24-48 hours
- LinkedIn will remove account data within 30 days after closure
- Some data may still remain in backups for up to 90 additional days
Alternatively, you can also directly contact LinkedIn Customer Service to request account deletion.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn retains user data indefinitely until an account is deleted. Following account deletion, LinkedIn states it will remove most data within 30 days, with some data potentially retained in backups for up to 90 days. Some usage, analytics, and advertising data may be retained for extended periods up to 2 years.
The only way to fully control how long LinkedIn keeps your data is to not use their platform or services. However, with careful privacy settings and regular content deletion, you can limit the amount of personal data stored by LinkedIn.