Hacker News Reader

Comment by csmpltn | Hacker News Reader

Nobody is forcing you to use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an American product, made by an American company in America, subject to American law. When you create an account - you agree to American terms and conditions, arbitrated by American courts.

LinkedIn doesn't need to obey to EU law. It needs to obey to American law, which allows LinkedIn to do business with anybody (other than people from sanctioned countries) whilst complying with US law. EU's laws don't matter in the US. The EU can sue LinkedIn, but LinkedIn can just safely ignore any lawsuits and ignore sanctions, because they are an American company subject to American laws.

EU citizens are willingly subscribing to an American service, then complain the American service doesn't abide by EU laws. That's laughable at every level, to any individual with a modicum of intelligence. If you don't agree to the terms, don't use LinkedIn. You are not entitled to anything.

View on HN

> you agree to American terms and conditions, arbitrated by American courts.

"Designated Countries. We use the term “Designated Countries” to refer to countries in the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland."

"If you reside in the “Designated Countries”, you are entering into this Contract with LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company (“LinkedIn Ireland”) and LinkedIn Ireland will be the controller of your personal data provided to, or collected by or for, or processed in connection with our Services."

"If you live in the Designated Countries, the laws of Ireland govern all claims related to LinkedIn's provision of the Services" "With respect to jurisdiction, you and LinkedIn agree to choose the courts of the country to which we direct your Services where you have habitual residence for all disputes arising out of or relating to this User Agreement, or in the alternative, you may choose the responsible court in Ireland."

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/user-agreement

I'm not sure from where you got your information.

Nobody cares. They keep a skeleton crew office in the EU for compliance purposes only. Whether they have an office in the EU or not is inconsequential. If they closed it tomorrow, the EU would literally have nothing to go after...

You're saying they are buccaneers, and validating that as the fundamental working principle of American capitalism.

Call them whatever you want. All I'm saying is that Europeans are hypocrites for fucking over their greatest ally via unenforceable and anti-competitive regulation that's not worth the paper it's written in (and that European institutions have even exempted themselves from). The one ally that they desperately depend on for safety and security, technology, medicine, research, etc.

> They keep a skeleton crew office in the EU for compliance purposes only

According to LinkedIn, they have over 2,000 employees in Dublin alone.

> LinkedIn doesn't need to obey to EU law.

Yes, they do.

> If you don't agree to the terms, don't use LinkedIn.

We agree on that.

Operator of the LinkedIn Website:

LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company Wilton Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

I agree that people should just stay off LinkedIn. Keep your local job boards alive. That being said:

> LinkedIn doesn't need to obey to EU law.

This is false. A company must follow the law of the jurisdictions where it operates.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com