LinkedIN Faces Austrian Lawsuit Over Paywalled Profile Views: GDPR Violation Alleged

Breaking News: LinkedIn Accused of Breaking EU Privacy Law

Digital rights group None of Your Business (NOYB) has filed a legal complaint in an Austrian court, alleging that LinkedIn’s paid-only feature for viewing profile visitors violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The lawsuit claims that the social network unlawfully withholds personal data from free users unless they pay a monthly fee.

According to NOYB, the ‘Who’s Viewed Your Profile’ feature breaches Article 15 of the GDPR, which guarantees EU citizens the right to access their own data. “LinkedIn is making money off data that legally should be free,” said Max Schrems, honorary chairman of NOYB.

Background: A Decade-Long Paywall

LinkedIn introduced the profile visitor feature around 2007, offering it for free initially. After the GDPR came into force in 2018, the company placed the feature behind a paywall for Premium subscribers, costing €30 per month in Europe.

NOYB argues that this contradicts the GDPR’s data access rights. Free users who submit a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) to obtain visitor data are often refused, with LinkedIn citing privacy concerns for other users. Yet if they subscribe, the same data becomes instantly available.

“It is particularly absurd that LinkedIn is using a supposed ‘data protection interest’ as an argument to deny the right of access,” NOYB stated in a press release.

What This Means for Users and the Industry

If the Austrian Data Protection Authority rules against LinkedIn, the company could face a fine of up to 4% of its global annual turnover. More importantly, it would force LinkedIn to provide free access to profile visit data for all EU users.

The case follows NOYB’s history of successful complaints against tech giants. In 2025, the group helped secure a €325 million fine against Google from French privacy regulator CNIL over data collection practices. “This is about enforcing the rule of law. Data access cannot be a paid product,” Schrems added.

LinkedIn might argue that anonymity features allow any user to opt out of visibility, and that the rights of profile visitors to privacy conflict with a requester’s right to access. A LinkedIn spokesperson said, “We are reviewing the complaint and will respond in due course.”

Key Points of the Complaint

• GDPR Article 15: Right of access to personal data — LinkedIn’s paywall allegedly violates this right.
• DSAR Rejection: Free users are denied data even when making formal access requests.
• Commercialization: The feature is a paid perk for Premium subscribers, creating a financial barrier to data access.
• NOYB’s Track Record: Previous complaints led to multi-million euro fines against Google and Meta.

NOYB’s Argument in Detail

1. LinkedIn collects profile visit data for all users.
2. This data is personal data of the profile owner.
3. Giving partial access (last 5 visitors) but blocking the full list unless paid violates GDPR.
4. The company cannot use other users’ privacy as a blanket excuse while simultaneously monetizing that same data.

“Either the data must not be accessible to anyone, or – if it is clear to the visitor that the data is visible – it must also be disclosed in accordance with Article 15 GDPR,” the complaint states.

What Happens Next

The Austrian court will now examine the case and may refer it to the European Court of Justice for a broader ruling. Meanwhile, LinkedIn continues to paywall the feature, but this action could set a precedent for how social media platforms handle access to personal data under EU law.

For EU users, the outcome could mean free access to see exactly who viewed their LinkedIn profile — a valuable tool for job seekers and professionals. For LinkedIn, it could force a significant change in its business model.