LinkedIn Faces GDPR Challenge Over Paywalled Profile Visitor Data

A Digital Rights Group Takes on LinkedIn

The privacy advocacy organization None of Your Business (NOYB) has filed a legal complaint in an Austrian court, alleging that LinkedIn's practice of charging users to see who viewed their profile violates European data protection laws. The group contends that the professional networking platform's "Who's Viewed Your Profile" feature should be provided free of charge to all users in the European Union under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). NOYB, known for its previous successful actions against major tech firms—including a €325 million fine imposed on Google in 2025 by France's CNIL—argues that LinkedIn is unlawfully restricting access to personal data.

The Core of the Complaint: Article 15 GDPR

The complaint centers on GDPR Article 15, which grants individuals the right to access their own personal data held by a controller. NOYB asserts that when a LinkedIn user visits another person's profile, that visit becomes personal data of the profile owner. Therefore, the owner has a legal right to know who visited. However, LinkedIn has chosen to monetize this feature by reserving full visitor lists for paying subscribers of its Premium Career plan, which starts at €30 per month (around $40 in the US).

A Contradictory Policy

LinkedIn introduced the ability to see profile visitors around 2007, before the GDPR came into effect in 2018. Later, the company placed the full list behind a paywall. According to NOYB, this creates a paradox: non-paying users can request their visitor data via a formal Data Subject Access Request (DSAR), but LinkedIn refuses such requests on the grounds of protecting other users' privacy. Yet, if the same user subscribes to Premium, the data is suddenly provided.

“It is particularly absurd that LinkedIn is using a supposed ‘data protection interest’ as an argument to deny the right of access to data under the GDPR,” states NOYB’s press release. The group argues that LinkedIn’s policy is inherently contradictory—either the data should not be accessible to anyone, or if it is clear to visitors that their visits are visible, then it must be disclosed to the profile owner free of charge under Article 15.

Free Users' Limited Access

LinkedIn does offer a small concession: free account holders can see the last five visitors to their profile, provided those visitors have not enabled the anonymity option. Additionally, any user can opt out of having their own visits tracked by toggling off the visibility setting in Settings → Visibility → Visibility when viewing other profiles. Doing so makes each visit appear as “Anonymous LinkedIn Member.” These measures, however, are not enough to satisfy NOYB, which insists that the full data must be accessible to all EU users without charge.

LinkedIn's Likely Defense

LinkedIn is expected to argue before the Austrian Data Protection Authority that the GDPR’s right of access must be balanced against the privacy rights of other users. The company may claim that revealing the identity of visitors could infringe on their personal privacy, especially since LinkedIn profiles often contain detailed professional information. However, NOYB counters that if a user chooses not to browse anonymously, they implicitly consent to their identity being disclosed.

When contacted for comment, a LinkedIn spokesperson sent a statement reiterating that the company takes user privacy seriously and that its features are designed to comply with applicable laws. The full response, however, did not directly address the specifics of NOYB’s complaint.

Broader Implications for Data Access

This case could set a significant precedent for how online platforms handle user data. If the Austrian court rules in favor of NOYB, it may force LinkedIn—and potentially other social networks—to reevaluate paywalled features that restrict access to personal information. The stakes are high: NOYB is pushing for a fine to deter future violations and ensure that GDPR rights are not undermined by commercial interests.

For LinkedIn users, the outcome will determine whether they need to pay for insight into who is checking out their professional profile—or whether that information becomes a free and fundamental right under EU law.