LinkedIn caught copying user's clipboard in iOS 14, says it is a bug

Iphone Homescreen (Image credit: Kon Karampelas)

What you need to know

LinkedIn has been caught snooping on the clipboard in iOS 14.
One developer found they were copying the content of the clipboard on every keystroke.
LinkedIn says that the behavior is a bug that will be fixed in an update to the app.

One of Apple's focuses for privacy in iOS 14 is giving users more information about what apps and websites are doing in the background with their information. One of those features is alerting users when an app copies the contents of your clipboard, and LinkedIn just got caught doing that - a lot.

Twitter user DonCubed, a developer for portfolio builder Urspace, posted a video showing that the LinkedIn app was copying the contents of his clipboard on every single keystroke.

"LinkedIn is copying the contents of my clipboard every keystroke. IOS 14 allows users to see each paste notification. I'm on an IPad Pro and it's copying from the clipboard of my MacBook Pro. Tik tok just got called out for this exact reason."

LinkedIn is copying the contents of my clipboard every keystroke. IOS 14 allows users to see each paste notification.

I'm on an IPad Pro and it's copying from the clipboard of my MacBook Pro.

Tik tok just got called out for this exact reason. pic.twitter.com/l6NIT8ixEFLinkedIn is copying the contents of my clipboard every keystroke. IOS 14 allows users to see each paste notification.

I'm on an IPad Pro and it's copying from the clipboard of my MacBook Pro.

Tik tok just got called out for this exact reason. pic.twitter.com/l6NIT8ixEF— Don 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 urspace.io (@DonCubed) July 2, 2020 July 2, 2020

Erran Berger, the Vice President of Engineering of Consumer Products at LinkedIn, responded that the behavior was due to a bug and that the behavior would be removed in an update to the app.

"Hi @DonCubed. Appreciate you raising this. We've traced this to a code path that only does an equality check between the clipboard contents and the currently typed content in a text box. We don't store or transmit the clipboard contents."

Hi @DonCubed. Appreciate you raising this. We've traced this to a code path that only does an equality check between the clipboard contents and the currently typed content in a text box. We don't store or transmit the clipboard contents.Hi @DonCubed. Appreciate you raising this. We've traced this to a code path that only does an equality check between the clipboard contents and the currently typed content in a text box. We don't store or transmit the clipboard contents.— Erran Berger (@eberger45) July 3, 2020 July 3, 2020

The TikTok app was also caught snooping on user's clipboard content, leading the company to also commit to removing the behavior. LinkedIn will surely not be the last company to face backlash from customers as iOS 14 gets into the hands of more users.

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.