After my own attempts, I concluded that LinkedIn doesn't meet my expectations for privacy, so I don't use LinkedIn. Per your standards, you also don't think LinkedIn sufficiently values your privacy (or your time), so why keep using it?

> It MUST somehow be possible to balance the need for a reasonable level of privacy with the need of having a LinkedIn account

1. You do not "need" a LinkedIn account. Lots of people use it, some even like it, but you don't have to. I don't.

2. Why "must" that balance be possible? Many privacy-conscious people don't use social media sites like LinkedIn. LinkedIn doesn't have to accommodate us, and we don't have to bend to them either.