There are many articles posted on LinkedIn and other social media sites advising of the risks to members who use LinkedIn. Most address criminal threats including the risk of members being defrauded, having their identity stolen, or vulnerability to other cybercrimes (e.g. malware, hacking). The threat of foreign intelligence agencies cultivating LinkedIn users or harnessing their information has also been identified to members. But absent from discussion is risk that arises from certain posts and comments made by members in LinkedIn.
The personal details about a member and the information they post on LinkedIn is of value to government and private sector organisations when undertaking personal vetting of job applicants and screening of current employees to ensure compliance with internal social media policies or for security purposes. To protect themselves and family members, LinkedIn members need to be very careful about what they post on that site and the tone and language they use.
LinkedIn is a business and employment focused online professional platform that is primarily used for professional networking and career development. Users on LinkedIn tend to share industry news, career insights, thought leadership articles, and job postings. Revenue for LinkedIn is derived from selling access to information abouts its members, which includes their posts and comments. Purchasers of that information vary but include criminal groups masking behind a business to commit crime or launder money or both. For example, fake job advertisements designed to trap people into human trafficking. In relation to Human trafficking, EUROPOL recently advised: “criminal networks increasingly exploit online platforms for recruitment, facilitation, advertisement, payment and victim control.”
But recently and perhaps has been occurring for some time, many users of LinkedIn have forgotten the purpose of LinkedIn and are using it to post articles and information unrelated to business networking or employment. In recent times, many of the postings have centred around political issues, for example the election and appointment of President Donald Trump and the policies of various political parties to name a few. While people are free to express their opinion, some should exercise restraint and refrain from posting or making the comments that they do. Because some comments are inaccurate; baseless, highly inflammatory (particularly when directed at people with religious beliefs), and unbalanced. They do not cast a positive light on the person posting. Not only is the information not relevant to the purpose of LinkedIn, what a member releases on that site could identify themselves as a potential target of organised crime or a foreign intelligence organisation and/or have adverse consequences for their career and their family.
Information posted on LinkedIn can (and in fact is) harvested by foreign intelligence agencies and criminal organisations and examined by public and private sector organisations. The last two use the information to screen potential candidates for vacant positions or to do background checks on current employees to determine if they are suitable for a vacant position, promotion, or are using social media sites in compliance with their internal policies. Local intelligence and law enforcement agencies also view LinkedIn data and use it to assess if that person is a threat to their country.
So how is the information disclosed by a LinkedIn user of value to the entities referred to earlier?
Indicators Of Behaviour
Language is a core component of a persons’ identity. It reflects values and beliefs. A posting and comments by people contain indicators of the type of person they are. The words and tone provide a glimpse into the internal workings of a persons’ mind. Postings and comments that are inaccurate, unbalanced, and/or emotional are like gold for criminal organisations and foreign intelligence agencies because they identify people who might be easy to cultivate. For example; some members using LinkedIn make derogatory, disrespectful, or factually incorrect comments about religion, political beliefs, and policies.
Criminal elements and foreign intelligence agencies use a variety of techniques to identify people they consider vulnerable due to their communication practices. The process is made easier by data mining techniques and information technology. And with the adoption of artificial intelligence, the extraction of information will be more widespread and quicker. All aided by the assistance of psychologists who provide valuable input into building personal profiles of people. And it starts with using tools to identify various words which then identify a potential target. People who are vain, arrogant or narcissistic are natural recruiting targets.
Once a target has been identified in LinkedIn, grooming techniques are then used to cultivate that person. Grooming is a technique that involves building a social relation with a person who been identified as a grooming target. A person who makes a post or comment in LinkedIn might be easy to groom because all a groomer must do to commence the social relationship is agree with that person. No matter how inaccurate, emotional, or ridiculous a post or comment is. Once a person who has posted information sees that a person is on their side and responds to that person, a door has been opened to a groomer. The groomer (representing a criminal organisation or intelligence agency) then to build the relationships, follows each information post that person makes either on LinkedIn or elsewhere, supporting the opinion expressed by the target with their own commentary. The door is opened wider when the target accepts a request from the groomer to connect in LinkedIn and engages in conversation. It does not mean that a person who expresses their free will in a way that others feel is inappropriate would fall victim to grooming. The language and tone are merely indicators and used to identify potential targets.
Once a person of interest has been identified as a target as evidenced from what they have recorded on LinkedIn and the grooming process has commenced, the next steps might involve identifying other vulnerable people connected to the target who can be exploited; for example: work colleagues, associates, and friends. Criminal organisations and intelligence agencies know that like minded people often congregate, so pursing those persons might expose other persons of interest, sometimes of greater value. The initial target might not be the main objective. It might be someone closer to them for example their manager, or head of information technology or a procurement manager. In the human cultivation game, criminal organisations and intelligence agencies know that often the “longest way round is the shortest way home.”
Why LinkedIn Is More Valuable
Criminal organisations and foreign intelligence agencies also scan social media such as Facebook, Instagram etc for exploitable indicators of a person’s character, but LinkedIn is particularly valuable for them. That is due to the neatly assembled information that is posted. A person’s LinkedIn profile will normally list where a person works, their employment history, the position they occupy and have occupied, and where they have worked. And they can download it for free or buy it from LinkedIn.
Data from LinkedIn about a target is then consolidated with data obtained or stolen from other sources including social media to gain a full picture of the target. The techniques used by criminal organisations and foreign intelligence agencies mirror profiling techniques used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Even a simple hand draw association matrix would significantly benefit criminals and intelligence operatives. And in the intelligence game “all the pieces matter”.
As the data is collected, collated, and analysed a clearer picture of a target is obtained. This includes not only where they work but details of friends, associates, and family members particularly any partner and children. Additional targeting strategies are then developed, or the information is sold to another group to exploit for example: criminal groups who specialise in human trafficking including child sex trafficking.
Close family members could therefore end up being identified and exposed to criminals who want to scam or cause a victim psychological, reputational, or physical harm all started because of an inappropriate comment or post on a business and networking site.
Value For Public Sector & Private Sector Organisations
For public sector and private sector organisations conducting vetting checks on applicants or current employees (and in many cases on suppliers and contractors) LinkedIn profiles, posts and comments are an essential tool in determining whether a person they are considering employing or currently employ or a contractor or supplier; represent a risk to the organisation. Risks assessed are many but include the risk of fraud, corruption, reputational damage and health and safety.
Organisations using various search tools and/or purchase data can easily identify a person who posts inflammatory, inaccurate, offensive, biased information on LinkedIn. Such persons are a potential risk to any organisation. Therefore, a public or private sector organisation is unlikely to engage with that person because why would they onboard a potential risk if they did not have to? Smart and responsible organisations ask themselves: Why engage with a person or business that does not reflect our values?
And rejection of a person might extend to family members. A son or a daughter of a person who posts inappropriate material on LinkedIn might be rejected for a job based on what a parent has written. In their early years, children inherit most of their values from their parents. Therefore, if a parent has openly expressed an opinion about a person, organisation, religion, or activity that is not in keeping with normal ethical values and community standards, then there is a high probability their children share the same view. Why would a school that is vetting children for limited academic places accept a child of a person who does not reflect the values of the school? It makes no sense to onboard a potential problem child who could be a risk to other children and staff if they do not have to.
Impact on Other Aspects of Life
Comments and postings on social media sites including LinkedIn can have a negative impact on other aspects of a person’s life, for example:
· A person arrives in a foreign country with a visa or seeks a visa on arrival where that is possible. only to be denied entry and turned around. No reason is given. And if one is it is usually an explanation that the person did not meet that country’s character test. But behind the scenes, authorities have identified that the person made a derogatory comment on social media about that country, or government or religion that is popular in that country. Many authorities now obtain information from international airlines about the people on each flight and undertake pre-screening prior to their arrival.
· A firm tendering for a contract with a public sector organisation continually fails to be selected. The firm is rejected because a senior manager/s or employee has posted comments that are seen as presenting a risk to the organisation. For example, biased, inaccurate, or offensive comments about government employees or government programmes generally. The comments might also be an indicator of the quality of the work that can be expected from people who work for the firm. Why take a risk with that firm, if it has allowed a manager or an employee to post something that is untrue? And if that public sector organisation is a school, then it might be more risk adverse than a government department or agency.
· A person or a parent of a child applying for a scholarship is rejected based on comments and posts made by the person or parent that were not in line with the values of the scholarship provider. Or child’s application to attend a particular school is rejected on the same grounds. The reason for rejection might not be provided and if one were required, it would suffice to advise that there were many highly qualified applicants and positions were limited.
· A person or firm applies for a government grant that has been offered to specific people and organisations within a particular industry, commerce, or profession. Government authorities are required to adhere to standards including core values. Funds are limited and the grant process is overwhelmed with applications. The person or firm applying for a grant has a very compelling case. But their application is rejected because of support that person or firm has made to a post that was not very flattering of people of a certain religion, race, lifestyle or country. [I recall being advised by a university lecturer who used to work for a Government Minister of that minister denying funding to a community group who supported blind children. He told the group that his portfolio did not have the available funds. It was a lie. The ministry concerned had more that sufficient funds to assist that group and it fell well within the realm of his portfolio. The minister did not want to help them because he thought that they were not politically aligned with his party].
Comments Damage a Country’s Reputation
A person posting or making comments on LinkedIn should also take into consideration the impact they might have on their country’s reputation. While their comments might not have negative blowback to them, it might have an impact on organisations that engage in trade.
LinkedIn is a service that connects organisations and people with the outside world. It is personal networks that connect countries and drive trade. It takes a lot of time and expense to build those networks. And they can easily be destroyed with one word or one line. Especially if those words are communicated by a senior figure in government or the private sector. Like it or not, when a person comments on the values, way of life, religion etc of a person from another country or a country itself, it reflects on every person and organisation in that country where the person commenting lives. Everyone gets tarred with the same brush.
Try and remember that words are bullets.