LinkedIn sues ProAPIs for $15K/Month LinkedIn data scraping scheme

LinkedIn has filed a lawsuit against ProAPIs and its CEO Rahmat Alam, accusing them of running millions of fake LinkedIn accounts to scrape and sell user data, and charging up to $15,000 per month for scraping services. The defendants are alleged to offer real-time, detailed LinkedIn data through a fake account network, accessing member-only information without permission and misusing LinkedIn trademarks to imply endorsement.

LinkedIn says the operation involves a vast network of continuously created fake accounts that log into LinkedIn to harvest data on members, companies and schools, as well as posts, reactions and comments. Although LinkedIn blocks most of these accounts within hours, each fake account can harvest hundreds of profiles, with operators creating hundreds or thousands of new accounts daily to evade detection.

LinkedIn also contends the defendants’ data scraping overloads its servers and that their conduct violates the platform’s User Agreement and various laws prohibiting unauthorized access.