LinkedIn Fails to Upset Order Letting hiQ Access Public Data (1)

LinkedIn Corp. can’t topple a court order allowing data analytics company hiQ to access publicly available LinkedIn member profiles, the Ninth Circuit ruled Sept. 9, affirming a lower court’s preliminary injunction.

The district court properly found hiQ would likely suffer irreparable harm without temporary relief because its business survival depended on use of the LinkedIn data, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said.

The case has been closely watched by internet and privacy attorneys for potential implications for how the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is interpreted and applied.

HiQ scrapes, or extracts, information that LinkedIn users ...