LinkedIn Activity Privacy: What Others Can See About You 2026

You liked a competitor's post while researching their strategy. You viewed a recruiter's profile. You commented on an industry article at 2 AM. Can others see this activity? LinkedIn's privacy settings are complex—and the defaults often expose more than you realize.

This guide explains exactly what's visible, to whom, and how to configure your settings for the privacy level you actually want.

Key Takeaways

• Profile views are visible by default—viewers see your name unless you enable private mode
• Likes and comments are public and appear in your network's feeds
• Job searches have dedicated privacy settings to hide from your employer
• Connection activity (who you connect with) is controllable but visible by default
• Premium users can sometimes see anonymous viewers depending on their subscription

What LinkedIn Activity Is Visible to Others

According to LinkedIn's Help Center, different types of activity have different visibility:

Activity Visibility Matrix

Activity Type	Who Can See By Default	Can You Hide It?
Profile views	The person you viewed	Yes (private mode)
Post likes	Your connections + post author	No
Comments	Everyone (public posts)	Only by deleting
Post shares	Your connections	No
Job applications	Hiring team only	Yes (more controls available)
Job searches	Your employer (if using company email)	Yes
New connections	Your network	Yes
Work anniversary	Your network	Yes
Profile updates	Your network	Yes
Articles published	Everyone	No

Profile View Privacy

When you view someone's profile, they receive a notification by default. According to LinkedIn's privacy documentation, you have three viewing modes:

Viewing Mode Options

Mode	What They See	What You Lose
Full visibility	Your name, headline, and how you found them	Nothing
Private profile characteristics	Industry, job function (no name)	They won't know it's you
Private mode	"Anonymous LinkedIn Member"	You can't see who viewed your profile

How to Change Your Viewing Mode

1. Click your profile photo → Settings & Privacy
2. Visibility → Profile viewing options
3. Select your preferred mode

Important trade-off: If you use Private Mode, you lose access to "Who viewed your profile"—a valuable feature for identifying interested prospects.

Post Engagement Privacy

Likes, comments, and shares on LinkedIn are inherently public. There's no "private like" option.

What Happens When You Like a Post

1. The post author sees your name in the likes list
2. Your connections may see "[Your name] liked this" in their feed
3. The like remains visible on the post indefinitely

What Happens When You Comment

1. Your comment appears publicly on the post
2. Your connections may see "[Your name] commented on this"
3. Anyone viewing the post sees your comment
4. Your comment may appear in search results

Strategic Implications

If you're researching competitors or exploring job opportunities, your engagement activity can reveal your intentions:

Action	Who Sees	Risk Level
Liking competitor's content	Your boss, colleagues	Medium
Commenting on recruiter posts	Your employer	High
Engaging with job-related content	Anyone watching your activity	Medium
Following competing companies	Your network	Low

No way to hide: Unlike profile views, there's no setting to make your likes and comments private.

Job Search Privacy

LinkedIn offers specific privacy settings for job seekers. According to LinkedIn's job seeker privacy guide, you can signal recruiters while hiding from your current employer.

Open to Work Privacy Options

Setting	Recruiters See	Your Employer Sees	Your Network Sees
Recruiters only	Your "Open to Work" status	Nothing	Nothing
All LinkedIn members	Green badge on photo	Green badge on photo	Green badge on photo

How to Enable Job Search Privacy

1. Go to your profile
2. Click "Open to" below your headline
3. Select "Finding a new job"
4. Choose "Recruiters only"
5. LinkedIn will hide your status from your company's recruiters and HR team

Note: LinkedIn blocks your current company's recruiters based on company page association. If your employer uses third-party recruiting tools, the blocking may not be complete.

Connection Activity Privacy

By default, when you connect with someone, your network can see it:

• "[Your name] is now connected with [New connection]"
• Activity appears in network's feeds

How to Hide New Connections

1. Settings & Privacy → Visibility
2. Connections → Who can see your connections
3. Select "Only you"

This hides your connections list from others but doesn't prevent "new connection" notifications from appearing in feeds when you connect.

Profile Update Notifications

LinkedIn notifies your network about certain profile changes:

Update Type	Notification Sent	Can You Disable?
New job	Yes	Yes
Work anniversary	Yes	Yes
Profile photo change	Yes	Yes
Headline update	Sometimes	Yes
New education	Yes	Yes
New skills	No	N/A
About section edits	No	N/A

How to Disable Update Notifications

1. Settings & Privacy → Visibility
2. Visibility of your LinkedIn activity
3. Share profile updates with your network → Toggle off

Strategic use: Turn off notifications before making multiple profile edits, then re-enable when you want a single "announcement" moment.

What Most People Get Wrong About LinkedIn Privacy

Myth 1: "Private mode makes me completely invisible"

Wrong. Private mode only hides your identity from profile views. Your likes, comments, posts, and other engagement remain fully visible. You can still be found in search, and your content is still public.

Myth 2: "LinkedIn Premium users can always see anonymous viewers"

Partially true. Premium subscribers can see some anonymous viewers who use "Private profile characteristics" mode—they'll see job function and industry. But true Private Mode viewers appear only as "Anonymous LinkedIn Member" even to Premium users.

Myth 3: "Disabling notifications hides all my activity"

False. Disabling profile update notifications only stops the "John changed their job title" alerts. It doesn't hide your posts, comments, likes, or engagement activity from anyone.

Myth 4: "My activity is private if I don't post"

Incorrect. Even without posting, your likes, comments, profile views, and connections are visible to various audiences depending on settings.

Privacy Settings Quick Reference

Settings to Review

Navigate to Settings & Privacy and check these:

Visibility Section:

• Profile viewing options (decide on private mode trade-off)
• Who can see your connections
• Who can see your last name
• Profile visibility off LinkedIn
• Sharing profile edits

Data Privacy Section:

• How LinkedIn uses your data
• Job seeking preferences
• Salary data sharing

Communications Section:

• Who can send you invitations
• Who can message you
• Reply and tag notifications

The Privacy vs. Visibility Trade-Off for B2B Professionals

Here's the uncomfortable truth: complete privacy undermines LinkedIn's value for lead generation.

If you hide your profile views, you can't see who's viewing you—a key buying signal. If you never engage with content, you're invisible to prospects. If you lock down connections, you limit networking opportunities.

The ConnectSafely approach is intentional visibility: use LinkedIn to build authority, engage strategically, and attract inbound interest. Privacy settings protect you from unwanted exposure—but excessive privacy prevents the visibility that generates business.

Recommended settings for B2B professionals:

Setting	Recommendation	Why
Profile viewing	Full visibility	See who views you; they see you viewed them
Connections	Visible	Mutual connections build trust
Profile updates	On selectively	Share intentional career milestones
Job search	Recruiters only	If applicable; hide from employer
Open to work badge	Case-by-case	Public badge for active seekers only

Getting Started

1. Audit your current settings using the checklist above
2. Decide on profile view mode based on whether you value "who viewed" data
3. Review job search settings if employed and exploring
4. Be intentional about engagement knowing likes and comments are public
5. Build visibility strategically rather than hiding by default

Start your ConnectSafely free trial to build strategic LinkedIn visibility that attracts the right attention.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can people see when I view their LinkedIn profile?

By default, yes. When you view someone's profile, they receive a notification with your name and headline. You can change this by enabling Private Mode in Settings & Privacy → Visibility → Profile viewing options. However, enabling Private Mode means you also lose access to seeing who viewed your own profile.

Can my employer see my LinkedIn activity?

Your employer cannot access your LinkedIn activity directly through LinkedIn. However, they can see: your public profile, any posts or comments you make, and who you're connected with (if visible). If you're job searching, enable "Open to recruiters only" to hide your job-seeking status from your company's recruiters.

Are my LinkedIn likes visible to everyone?

Yes. When you like a post, the post author sees your name in the likes list, and your connections may see "[Your name] liked this" in their feed. There is no private like option on LinkedIn—all engagement with posts is visible.

How do I hide my LinkedIn activity from my connections?

You can't fully hide your activity from connections. You can: hide your connections list (Settings → Visibility → Connections), disable profile update notifications, and use Private Mode for profile views. However, your likes, comments, posts, and shares remain visible to your network.

Can LinkedIn Premium users see who views their profile anonymously?

Partially. Premium users can see additional details about anonymous viewers who use "Private profile characteristics" mode—they'll see job function and industry. However, viewers using true "Private Mode" appear only as "Anonymous LinkedIn Member" even to Premium subscribers.

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