(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Recently, news of personal data of Facebook users being compromised put millions into a tizzy. However, if the reports are to be believed, then not just Facebook but LinkedIn also puts privacy at stake.

A report in MalwarebytesLABS said LinkedIn responded to their article, saying: 'Members control their connections, who can see them (including keeping them private if they wish) and only first degree connections can get access to your contact info on LinkedIn.'

However, the report responded by saying LinkedIn visibility controls are clear and easily accessible to the non-technical user. The major concern was the categorisation of the connections themselves. Any direct relationship the user instigates is a first degree connection. First degree connections have a predefined level of access that is symmetric, and for the most part, not user editable, the report explained.

LinkedIn also added a lockdown option that allows you to restrict your viewable connections and email address to not be viewable by anyone. But it lacks are granular permissions on specific data elements assignable to each level of connection.

Upon deleting the account, LinkedIn referenced the end user's ability to control ad targeting preferences. While closing one's account, there were concerns regarding data retention practices on a "closed" account. The source was incorrect and LinkedIn does delete accounts after roughly 20 days, our privacy concern is no longer an issue, the report said.

For security experts, LinkedIn is an outstanding means of aggregating personal information without significant safety controls, irritating all your email contacts, and providing an endless stream of phishes, honeytraps, and scams to security personnel.

Other concerns mentioned in the reports regarding LinkedIn securities are privacy controls and Google indexing. LinkedIn has done its best at making their privacy controls accessible and easier to understand, but it still has a few problems baked into the core of the service.

Searching within Linkedin based on information you get from Google Cache will often yield profiles of people who thought they set their data to private, according to the report.

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