In December 2023, Coimisiún na Meán designated LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company (LinkedIn Ireland) as a video-sharing platform service. Consequently, LinkedIn Ireland is required to comply with the Online Safety Code (the Code). In accordance with Section 17.1 of the Code, LinkedIn Ireland is publishing this Media Literacy Plan (Plan).
The measures in this Plan aim to achieve the following key objectives:
- Enhance users' awareness of their rights and obligations when using LinkedIn, as well as the rights and obligations of other users;
- Help users better understand LinkedIn, including its various functions and features;
- Increase awareness of LinkedIn Ireland's responsibilities under the Code, and promote an understanding of the mechanisms LinkedIn Ireland has implemented under the Code;
- Foster digital civility, respect, wellbeing, and resilience online; and
- Empower users to access, create, upload, and share content safely and responsibly on LinkedIn.
To achieve these objectives, and consistent with LinkedIn’s commitment to keep its platform safe, trusted and professional, LinkedIn aims to implement a range of measures tailored to address harmful content and user behaviour that arises on LinkedIn.
- Online Resources / Transparency: LinkedIn had developed a dedicated Help Center article compiling certain key resources for LinkedIn users. This article provides information about LinkedIn, how LinkedIn addresses harmful or abusive content, how to report such content, and how to make a complaint to LinkedIn Ireland about LinkedIn’s implementation of certain measures in the Online Safety Code.
- Educational Initiatives: LinkedIn continues to develop initiatives that educate and empower members to control their LinkedIn experience and data, including to enhance awareness of tools and features to keep members safe. Current and planned initiatives include:
- Transparency Center: LinkedIn plans to to update its Transparency Center to give members easier access to member-education content, policies and reports.
- Safe use of AI, scams and fraud: LinkedIn is continuing to deliver safety messaging on how to use AI safely and avoid AI-driven scams and fraud.
- Verification: LinkedIn continues to enhance awareness of its verification features, which help members make more informed decisions about the people and companies they engage with.
- Job search safety: Following the launch of LinkedIn's first Job Search Safety Pulse — original research paired with practical guidance on safety tools and features — LinkedIn plans to publish further editions over the next year, and to continue sharing safe-job-searching advice to job seekers and hirers around key moments in the year, including Cybersecurity Awareness Month and International Fraud Awareness Week.
- Collaboration and Feedback Mechanism: LinkedIn will continue to work with civil society organisations to understand how its platform can be abused to harm members. As part of these engagements, LinkedIn will seek feedback from these organisations on potential additional user empowerment initiatives appropriately tailored to LinkedIn’s user base. LinkedIn will also use feedback mechanisms to gather and evaluate user input on media literacy initiatives.
By implementing these measures, LinkedIn aims to create a safer and more informed digital environment for all LinkedIn users. This Plan will be updated annually.