LinkedIn Professional Community Guidelines

LinkedIn is a company that aims to put its members first when it comes to making important decisions. Millions of professional conversations and shared insights are being exchanged every day on LinkedIn. To ensure these discussions help our members be more productive and successful, LinkedIn has put in place Professional Community Guidelines outlining the types of discussions and content that are acceptable on LinkedIn, and what may be deemed inappropriate and stopped by LinkedIn. These community guidelines are intended to provide our members guidance and complement the list of Do’s and Don’ts found in the User Agreement governing your use of, and participation in, LinkedIn’s online services.

1. Be Real. Unlike some other online services, our members need to be real people, who provide their real names and accurate information about themselves. It is not okay to provide misleading information about yourself, your qualifications or your work experience, affiliations or achievements on LinkedIn’s service.
2. Be Professional. We ask our members to behave professionally by not being dishonest or inappropriate. We acknowledge the value of discussions around professional activities, but we do not want you to use LinkedIn to shock or intimidate others. It is not okay to share graphic images to shock others, and it is not okay to share obscene images or pornography on LinkedIn’s service.
3. Be Nice. LinkedIn shouldn’t be used to harm others. Terrorists and those who engage in violent crimes are not welcome on LinkedIn. It is not okay to use LinkedIn’s services to harass, abuse, or send other unwelcomed communications to people (e.g., junk mail, spam, chain letters, phishing schemes). Do not use LinkedIn’s services to promote or threaten violence or property damage, or for hate speech acts like attacking people because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, political or religious affiliations, or medical or physical condition. Also, don’t use LinkedIn’s services to intentionally infect others with viruses, worms, or other software that can destroy or interrupt their data or computer devices. It is not okay to interfere or disrupt LinkedIn’s service.
4. Respect Other’s Rights and Follow the Law. We do not want LinkedIn to be used for illegal activities or to violate the rights of others. Don’t use LinkedIn’s services to commit fraud. Before sharing or using someone else’s copyrighted works, trademarks, private information, or trade secrets, please make sure you have the legal right to do so.
5. Respect LinkedIn’s Rights. Please don’t violate the rights of LinkedIn. You can find more information about what this means in our User Agreement, but put simply, please don’t use LinkedIn’s services to wrongfully take data or information. It is not okay to suggest that you are affiliated with or endorsed by LinkedIn when you are not, and it is not okay to violate LinkedIn’s intellectual property rights.