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LinkedIn beats "BrowserGate" lawsuits over scanning users' Chrome extensions

First reported Thu, 10 Sep 2026 20:55:29 GMT · Last updated

Archived story. Not updated since 2026-09-14 13:26 UTC. Newsei is updated manually, so events may have moved on — check the original reporting below.
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LinkedIn beats "BrowserGate" lawsuits over scanning users' Chrome extensions
Ars Technica · published 2026-09-10 20:55 UTC

LinkedIn beat two lawsuits over its practice of scanning users’ browser extensions, with a judge granting the Microsoft subsidiary's motion to dismiss the cases. The users who sued LinkedIn failed to adequately allege that they have standing to sue because neither asserted that they "had browser extensions installed that conveyed private information to LinkedIn," ruled Judge Vince Chhabria in US District Court for the Northern District of California. In his ruling on Tuesday, Chhabria gave the plaintiffs leave to amend their complaints but said he doubts they can make a plausible case. "Given LinkedIn’s further arguments that users voluntarily download browser extensions, which by their nature intentionally expose data to websites, it seems unlikely that the plaintiffs will ever be able to allege a privacy violation, much less prevail at the end of the day," Chhabria wrote. California residents Nicholas Farrell and Jeff Ganan separately filed class actions against LinkedIn in April, seeking to represent themselves and other LinkedIn users. Ganan's attorney, J.R. Howell, said he is evaluating whether to bring the claims in a California state court, which has different requirements o

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  • Ars Technica
    LinkedIn beats "BrowserGate" lawsuits over scanning users' Chrome extensions

    LinkedIn beat two lawsuits over its practice of scanning users’ browser extensions, with a judge granting the Microsoft subsidiary's motion to dismiss the cases. The users who sued LinkedIn failed to adequately allege that they have standing to sue because neither asserted that they "had browser extensions installed that conveyed private information to LinkedIn," ruled Judge Vince Chhabria in US District Court for the Northern District of California. In his ruling on Tuesday, Chhabria gave the plaintiffs leave to amend their complaints but said he doubts they can make a plausible case. "Given LinkedIn’s further arguments that users voluntarily download browser extensions, which by their nature intentionally expose data to websites, it seems unlikely that the plaintiffs will ever be able to allege a privacy violation, much less prevail at the end of the day," Chhabria wrote. California residents Nicholas Farrell and Jeff Ganan separately filed class actions against LinkedIn in April, seeking to represent themselves and other LinkedIn users. Ganan's attorney, J.R. Howell, said he is evaluating whether to bring the claims in a California state court, which has different requirements o

    Thu, 10 Sep 2026 20:55:29 GMT

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  1. 2026-09-10 20:55Ars Technica — LinkedIn beats "BrowserGate" lawsuits over scanning users' Chrome extensions

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