Back when I was in college, when my friends and I were bored we would sometimes check out the "adult services" ads on Craigslist and send each other the raunchiest/funniest ones we could find. I freely admit that it was pretty immature, but it was still incredibly funny, partially because the idea of trying to find someone to hook up with on Craiglist was just such an absurd idea. Also, some of the things that people used to post on there were RIDICULOUS.
Eventually, in a bid for respectability, Craiglist got rid of those postings in late 2010. And now LinkedIn is following suit.
LinkedIn announced that it had updated its Privacy Policy in a blog post Monday, noting that it would be "clarifying and simplifying language" so that it would be easier for people to understand it. But it was one update caught the attention of the Internet:
"i. Even if it is legal where you are located, create profiles or provide content that promotes escort services or prostitution."
At first, this seemed like kind of a weird thing for LinkedIn have to make so explicit. I mean, how many prostitutes are actually going on LinkedIn to advertise their services? Would anyone actually think to use LinkedIn for that? I mean, I guess somebody would, but is that really such a problem that LinkedIn has to address it so explicitly?
But then you realize that LinkedIn', which has over 200 million members, does not only exist in the United States. In fact, it is seeing more increased revenue from its international market. And prostitution is legal in most of the developed countries around the world, including Canada, Brazil, Mexico, France, England, Germany, Italy and Spain.
In the fourth quarter of 2012, LinkedIn saw a total of $114.6 million, or 38% of its revenue, come from international markets. In the first quarter 2013, that number jumped to $123.3 million.
But, legal or not, LinkedIn simply does not seem to want to be associated with that kind of activity.
"We have always prohibited these kinds of profiles. The recent change in our UA just makes it more explicitly prohibited," a LinkedIn spokesperson told VatorNews.
"In the old UA, we had it covered by saying that one could not use a profile to promote anything 'unlawful'. However, in some countries, the activity actually is lawful. So we changed our UA to add a clause that explicitly states that 'Even if it is legal where you are located,…', and then goes on to explicitly prohibit escort or prostitution services."
It should be noted that "prostitution" still remains as an endorsable skill on the site, though it seem like it generally applies to advocates and those in law enforcement, and not those who actually offer the service to clients.
In addition to the updated language, the new Privacy Policy, the site said, will "be presented in a page that will eventually become our Privacy Portal, your one-stop shop to access all of your LinkedIn data."
(Image source: https://www.nigerianeye.com)
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