A controversial browser plugin that exposed the private email addresses of LinkedIn users has finally been removed by its developers.
The social network's lawyers requested the withdrawal of "Hack in", as the add-on allegedly collected personal data without the users' consent.
The hack used specific algorithms in combination with publicly available information, identifying or guessing in many cases the email addresses of Linkedin members, without of course violating the social network's systems.
Linkedin spokesperson Krista Canfield pointed out, following the "noise" created online regarding the plugin, that "user data has not been compromised and that Sell Hack is not the result of a bug, vulnerability or security breach."
The developers of Sell Hack confirmed on their blog that they received a letter from LinkedIn's lawyers, requesting the discontinuation of the service, and clarified that the plug-in will no longer work for the social network's pages.
“We are building a better product that does not conflict with LinkedIn’s terms of service,” they said.
