# Is it OK to scrape LinkedIn?
> LinkedIn's user agreement restricts scraping and unauthorized bots. You can still lose the account, face a contract claim, and create a GDPR mess. Copying a few names by hand is research. A harvester is not.
- HTML: https://omentir.com/help/is-it-ok-to-scrape-linkedin
- Markdown: https://omentir.com/help/is-it-ok-to-scrape-linkedin.md

The user agreement restricts automated collection of data from the platform. LinkedIn has enforced that in court and with restrictions. The hiQ fight was about CFAA and public data. It did not make scrapers friendly, and later rulings still left contract claims on the table.

A Chrome plugin that pages through search and dumps a CSV is scraping even if you click "export" yourself. So is a headless browser farm. So is buying a dump from someone who did that last night.

Hand-copying 15 URLs for a campaign you will send this week is how sellers have always built lists. That is not the same category. If you need scale, use official products, partners, or a dataset whose source you can explain.

EU personal data scraped without a lawful basis is a second problem on top of LinkedIn's rules. "It was public" is not a complete GDPR answer.

If a vendor says "we only use public data" while they log in as you, they are using your session. You own that outcome.

## Related

- [Can I export LinkedIn search results?](https://omentir.com/help/can-i-export-linkedin-search-results.md)
- [Is LinkedIn automation allowed?](https://omentir.com/help/is-linkedin-automation-allowed.md)
- [Is cold outreach legal under GDPR and CAN-SPAM?](https://omentir.com/help/is-cold-outreach-legal-gdpr-can-spam.md)

## Frequently asked questions

**What about tools that use official APIs?**

Official APIs do not offer bulk personal-profile harvest for sales. If they claim "the LinkedIn API" for that, ask which product and which partnership.

**Can I scrape my own connections?**

You can export your data from LinkedIn's settings. That is your archive. It is not a license to run a harvester on everyone else's graph.

**Is buying a scraped list safer?**

Safer for the scraper, not for you. Bounces, complaints, and stale titles land in your domain and your campaigns.

**Does Omentir scrape LinkedIn?**

Omentir is for finding ICP-fit buyers and sending from your connected account under limits you set. It is not a scrape-to-CSV product. Read how a given feature actually collects names before you turn it on.

[Create an Omentir account](https://omentir.com/signup). Pro is $49/month.