Accused spam, LinkedIn is preparing to compensate users – The World

Many LinkedIn users received a surprise email, Friday, October 2, from the professional social network LinkedIn. In this message, the company tells them they can demand their share of $ 13 million (€ 11.5 million) that it is ready to pay to compensate for excessive emails shipments .

Those who deleted the message by taking as spam or a phishing scam would do well to reconsider the question that email could not be more serious. It follows a class action , a group action launched in 2013 in California. The plaintiffs accused the social network use in their address book to send to their contacts on their behalf, invitations to join the social network.

LinkedIn well have denied, several times, the accusations, he nevertheless agreed to put an end to the proceedings, to pay $ 13 million to the users. An agreement that the court has yet to confirm.

stimulus Messages

It has not so far ruled entirely in favor of the plaintiffs. It found that they had clearly given their permission to use their LinkedIn address book to send invitations to their contacts. However, the social network was not content to send one invitation: if nobody gave no result, then referred LinkedIn him two emails stimulus, without the authorization of the user <. /> p>

The US Internet users who received the e-mail sent Friday by now have until December 14 to manifest. The $ 13 million will be divided by the number of responses; the amount received by users who have requested will depend on their number. However, if it does not reach 10 dollars per person, LinkedIn has promised to add 750,000 dollars to the pot so that users receive at least that amount. The social network will also modify its website in order to make more explicit its policy of email recovery and give users the option to cancel the sending of these messages.