When you receive an unwelcome, inappropriate, or suspicious private message on LinkedIn, reporting it is the best course of action. Reporting the message alerts LinkedIn’s moderation team to review the content based on their community policies and guidelines. If the message violates LinkedIn’s terms, the sender may face restrictions or suspension from messaging.
Reporting a private message is easy to do right within LinkedIn. Here’s a quick rundown of the steps:
- Open the message you wish to report.
- Look for the “More” icon (three vertical dots) at the top right of the message window and click it.
- Select “Report” from the dropdown menu.
- Choose the reason for reporting: “Spam,” “Offensive content,” or “Something else.”
- Add any details in the text box that comes up.
- Click “Submit.”
Once you submit a report, here’s what happens behind the scenes:
LinkedIn Reviews the Reported Content
LinkedIn has a team dedicated to reviewing all incoming reports and flagged content. When you report a private message, it goes into their moderation queue to be examined.
The moderators will look at the reported message in the context of LinkedIn’s User Agreement and Privacy Policy. Specifically, they will determine if the message violates their guidelines around harassment, unwanted commercial solicitation, inappropriate content, and other prohibited behavior.
Action May Be Taken Against the Sender
If LinkedIn finds the reported message clearly violates their policies, they may take action against the sender’s account. Depending on the severity of the offense, this could include:
- Removing the offending message from view
- Restricting the sender from messaging you further
- Limiting the sender’s messaging privileges in general (e.g. only allowing messages to 1st-degree connections)
- Suspending the sender from using LinkedIn messaging entirely for a period of time
- Permanently banning the sender from LinkedIn
These actions are aimed at protecting the LinkedIn community from inappropriate, harmful, and malicious messaging behavior.
You May Get an Update on the Report
In some cases, LinkedIn may send you a notification letting you know they’ve taken action against the message or sender. This is more likely if they restrict, suspend, or ban the user due to your report.
However, they aren’t obligated to inform you of any specific moderation steps. If you don’t hear back, it doesn’t necessarily mean no action was taken – they just may not have notified you.
You Can Block the Sender
At any time, you can take matters into your own hands by blocking the sender’s account. This prevents them from viewing your LinkedIn profile or communicating with you.
To block someone who messaged you:
- Open the message thread with that person.
- Click the “More” icon and select “Block” from the menu.
- Confirm you want to block them.
Blocking is irreversible, so use it judiciously. It’s best reserved for senders who continue contacting you after you’ve asked them to stop.
You Can Unconnect from the Sender
If the unwanted message came from a 1st-degree connection, you can remove them from your network. This severs the connection between you and stops them from messaging you further.
To unconnect from someone:
- Go to their profile.
- Click “More” under their name and select “Unconnect.”
- Confirm you want to remove the connection.
Use your judgment here. Unconnecting can burn bridges, so reserve it for extreme or repeat offenses.
LinkedIn May Follow Up for More Information
In some cases, the moderation team may need more context from you before taking action. If so, they will reach out via email or message to request further details or screenshots.
If you receive such a request, providing the information helps LinkedIn conduct a thorough investigation. However, you aren’t required to respond if you don’t wish to.
You Can Appeal LinkedIn’s Decision
If you feel LinkedIn made a mistake by dismissing your report or not taking appropriate action, you can appeal the decision. Include any additional information that may be relevant for them to reconsider.
To submit an appeal:
- Go to the LinkedIn Help Center
- Search for “Appeal moderation decisions” and select the relevant article
- Scroll down and click “Contact us” to reach out to the appeals team
Keep in mind appeals may not always result in a different outcome. But reporting the process gives LinkedIn feedback to improve their moderation policies.
You Can Report Messages Anonymously
If you prefer to report an issue without disclosing your identity, LinkedIn allows anonymous reporting. The process is largely the same, except you submit the report through their Help Center article on reporting inappropriate messages anonymously.
Anonymous reports carry less weight than ones LinkedIn can verify through an identified profile. Still, they review anonymous submissions and will take action if there is a clear violation.
Some Caveats to Keep in Mind
While reporting messages to LinkedIn often helps resolve issues, there are some limitations to be aware of:
- LinkedIn prioritizes clear, unambiguous policy violations. More borderline cases may not result in action.
- Preventative measures like blocking may be more effective for handling persistent harassment from an individual.
- LinkedIn aims to protect free speech and only restricts it narrowly in clear violations. Mere offensiveness is not enough.
- Investigations take time. Immediate takedowns or removals only occur for severe threats, illegal content, etc.
- LinkedIn focuses on behaviors rather than individual messages. Patterns of abuse carry more weight than one-off instances.
Overall though, reporting messages is typically worthwhile to call out clear violations of LinkedIn’s rules. Just manage expectations around possible outcomes and timeframes.
Other Ways to Handle Unwanted Messages
Besides reporting, here are some other techniques for dealing with inappropriate, offensive, or harassing messages:
- Ask the sender to stop – Politely reply asking them not to message you again. Make clear it is unwanted. They may not realize they crossed a line.
- Set messages to “Connections Only” – Under Settings & Privacy, restrict messages to 1st-degree connections only. This prevents unwanted outreach.
- Turn off messages – Disable messaging in your Settings & Privacy menu. You can still read existing threads but won’t receive new ones.
- Remove personal info – Review your profile and remove details like phone number that could enable harassment.
- Strengthen privacy settings – Adjust who can see your connections, where you’ve worked, etc. to limit exposure.
Judicious use of LinkedIn’s privacy controls and messaging settings reduces the chances of unwanted contact in the first place.
In Summary
Reporting private messages is vital for maintaining LinkedIn’s professional community standards. While outcomes aren’t guaranteed, it alerts LinkedIn to investigate and take appropriate action based on their policies.
Blocking, unconnecting, and adjusting settings are also options available for handling individual senders. But reports address issues at their root and help improve the platform overall.
The process is easy, private, and discrete for members using LinkedIn responsibly. By reporting, you help protect yourself and the wider LinkedIn community from inappropriate behaviors that have no place on the platform.