linkedon

LinkedOn is a fictional online platform introduced in theoretical discussions of social networks and linked data to illustrate concepts of interoperability, privacy, and digital identity.

The platform is described as combining social and professional networking with a graph-oriented data model. Users maintain profiles, publish updates, share articles and media, and assemble "link rails"—collections of related content linked via persistent identifiers to external sources.

In the model, profile attributes, posts, endorsements, and external references are represented as interconnected nodes. LinkedOn emphasizes data portability and user control, offering granular privacy settings, data export, and API access for third party applications via OAuth and REST or GraphQL interfaces.

Originating in a 2010s academic or industry research project, LinkedOn is used in case studies to examine how linked data principles can improve discovery and accountability across services, while also highlighting challenges in consent management and long-term data stewardship.

Reception in literature notes that LinkedOn helps illustrate potential benefits of interoperable identity graphs but warns of risks related to surveillance, profiling, and retention. It serves as a benchmark for evaluating future designs rather than a concrete product.