Landmark Case LinkedIn vs hiQ Labs

The case between LinkedIn and hiQ Labs is a significant legal batt...

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Naman Gupta
Naman Gupta
February 21, 2025
6 minute read
Landmark Case LinkedIn vs hiQ Labs

UserVoice pioneered the concept of feature request tracking and idea voting boards, helping to make businesses more customer-centric. They deserve credit for pushing the industry forward.

But while UserVoice may have been groundbreaking back in 2008, their product hasn't kept up with the times.

The case between LinkedIn and hiQ Labs is a significant legal battle concerning data scraping, the use of publicly available data, and the boundaries of internet regulation. Here's what happened  This case set an important precedent for how data is treated on the internet, particularly concerning public vs. private data hiQ Labs, a data analytics company, scrapes publicly available data from LinkedIn profiles to provide services to businesses, such as predicting employee turnover.

LinkedIn, a professional networking site, sent a cease and desist letter to hiQ, claiming that hiQ's scraping activities were unauthorized and demanding that they stop accessing LinkedIn's servers for this purpose.

LinkedIn’s Allegation

LinkedIn argued that hiQ's scraping of its site constituted unauthorized access, especially after explicitly revoking permission via the cease and desist letter. LinkedIn claimed that by scraping its website, hiQ violated the DMCA, which includes provisions against circumventing technological measures that control access to copyrighted works.

The Landmark Case between LinkedIn and hiQ Labs was one of the instances that moved things differently in the Data Scrapping
Naman Gupta
Founder & CEO, Relu Consultancy

Proceedings

The dispute led to a series of legal battles, with the case eventually reaching the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ruled in favor of hiQ, stating that the CFAA's "without authorization" provision did not apply to publicly available data on the internet.

Important Implications

The LinkedIn vs. hiQ decision is often referenced in discussions about the scope and application of laws like the CFAA and the DMCA in the digital age. It highlighted the tension between individual privacy rights and the interests of businesses in accessing and using data.

Landmark Case LinkedIn vs hiQ Labs

Naman Gupta

Founder & CEO, Relu Consultancy
which deals in web scraping services which include Python Web Scraping, Web Scraper Tools, Website Data Extraction, Web Scraping API.

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Olivier
Relu consultancy has been a great help for triggify and so down the line this wouldn't have been possible without their team and expertise, so if anyone is ever looking to do something around a tooling in Linkedin Automation, I would highly recommend Relu Consultancy and they have helped me out a ton and working with team has been great.

Relu consultancy has been a great help for triggify and so down the line this wouldn't have been possible without their team and expertise, so if anyone is ever looking to do something around a tooling in Linkedin Automation, I would highly recommend Relu Consultancy and they have helped me out a ton and working with team has been great.

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I've been working with him for a few projects, he takes his time to analyze it very deeply and usually it comes out as exactly as he said, so he's one of the finest developers I met & I give him every project because I know that he takes the time not like everyone else and he's really making sure he will be able to deliver it on time & cost he say. I really appreciate his work and I recommend him a lot!

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Relu effectively solved my Arabic name extraction challenge. They listened, delivered tailored solutions promptly, and remained highly professional. Their solution saved me time, helping me achieve project goals efficiently

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Relu Consultancy impresses with its honesty and responsiveness despite time differences, offering expert data collection services beneficial for e-commerce analysis. They excel in monitoring services and promptly addressing issues, although slight coordination challenges may arise due to differing holiday schedules across countries. Overall, they come highly recommended for data analysts seeking reliable data solutions.

Relu Consultancy impresses with its honesty and responsiveness despite time differences, offering expert data collection services beneficial for e-commerce analysis. They excel in monitoring services and promptly addressing issues, although slight coordination challenges may arise due to differing holiday schedules across countries. Overall, they come highly recommended for data analysts seeking reliable data solutions.

Remi Delevaux

 Siri Gaja
We collaborated with Relu Consultancy to implement a new feature, encompassing web scraping, APIs, and React frontend.
The project was successfully completed and delivered to production, where it is currently being utilized by live clients. Throughout the entire process, the Relu team demonstrated agility in comprehending evolving requirements and promptly incorporating changes to enhance the product feature.
Effective communication and collaboration were maintained seamlessly throughout the project's duration.

We collaborated with Relu Consultancy to implement a new feature, encompassing web scraping, APIs, and React frontend. The project was successfully completed and delivered to production, where it is currently being utilized by live clients. Throughout the entire process, the Relu team demonstrated agility in comprehending evolving requirements and promptly incorporating changes to enhance the product feature. Effective communication and collaboration were maintained seamlessly throughout the project's duration.

Siri Gaja

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Thank you for getting us what we wanted without us having to sweat it out to explain what we wanted. This reflects your experience in developing various software products, no matter how out-of-this-world the idea may be. I also appreciate you getting our job done within our budget. I am looking forward to a long partnership that will last for years to come, with more products in our pipeline heading your way.

Thank you for getting us what we wanted without us having to sweat it out to explain what we wanted. This reflects your experience in developing various software products, no matter how out-of-this-world the idea may be. I also appreciate you getting our job done within our budget. I am looking forward to a long partnership that will last for years to come, with more products in our pipeline heading your way.

Edwin Boris

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After exploring various freelancers, one key factor that led us to choose Relu Consultancy was the intuitive understanding they demonstrated regarding our requirements. They delivered the software exactly as per our specifications, adhering to the agreed timeline and staying within our budget. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with them in the future. CIO TechWorld

After exploring various freelancers, one key factor that led us to choose Relu Consultancy was the intuitive understanding they demonstrated regarding our requirements. They delivered the software exactly as per our specifications, adhering to the agreed timeline and staying within our budget. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with them in the future. CIO TechWorld

Eric Hill

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