Did you know LinkedIn is probing your browser for the presence of 1,854 extensions?
Yes - one thousand eight hundred fifty-four!
This technique is often used for:
• Fingerprinting: silently building a unique profile of your device.
• Surveillance: detecting if you're using extensions on their "blacklist" - like scrapers, automation tools, or visibility blockers.
Why is this a privacy issue?
• Under the ePrivacy Directive, accessing anything on your device (including installed extensions) requires your consent.
• Principles from GDPR and other global frameworks demand transparency, control, and purpose limitation - none of which are happening here.
What can you do?
Introducing ProbExtShield - my new browser extension inspired by the research behind CleanedIn:
✅ Warns you when a site is probing your installed extensions
✅ (Optionally) Blocks those invasive requests
✅ Lets you opt-in to anonymously share data to support further research
Check out the open-source project on GitHub:
https://lnkd.in/ge_r48Fe
Fully privacy-first, free to use, and designed to put you back in control.