Private numbers and e-mail addresses of LinkedIn users can be retrieved via browser extension Lusha, reports Trouw. Users of the extension can look up individuals' data in an online database for a fee.
Through the tool, the data of politicians, influencers, crime reporters and employees of the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), among others, can be found.
According to Lusha, all data available through the extension comes from public sources. Thus, the information contained in the searchable database would have been made public by the individuals concerned themselves and would only be distributed by Lusha (upon request). Moreover, the data will be removed by Lusha if requested by the relevant individuals.
Yet there are doubts about the extent to which Lusha's methods are legal. Gerrit-Jan Zwenne, professor and privacy law attorney, tells Trouw that a legal basis is needed to process and offer personal data. This means that the persons whose data are being processed must give their consent, or that there must be a legitimate interest on the basis of which the data may be processed.
For now, the AP has not launched an investigation into Lusha.
