LinkedIn, through Microsoft, is an active participant in and contributor to the Task-force’s Crisis Response subgroup, in which it proactively provides analysis and data, related to influence operations, foreign interference in information space and relevant incidents that emerges on its service. Microsoft’s internal threat detection and research teams, including Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC), Microsoft Research (MSR), and AI For Good, collect and analyse data on actors of disinformation, misinformation and information manipulation across platforms.
Moreover, LinkedIn works with numerous partners to facilitate the flow of information to tackle purveyors of disinformation, including disinformation spread by state-sponsored and institutional actors.
LinkedIn maintains an internal Trust and Safety team composed of threat investigators and intelligence analysts to address disinformation. This team works with peers and other stakeholders, including our Artificial Intelligence modelling team, to identify and remove nation-state actors and coordinated inauthentic campaigns. LinkedIn conducts investigations into election-related influence operations and nation-state targeting including continued information sharing on threats with industry peers and Law Enforcement on a regular basis. LinkedIn works with peer companies and other stakeholders to receive and share indicators related to fake accounts created by state-sponsored actors, such as confirmed Tactics, Techniques, and Protocols (TTPs) and Indicators of Compromise (IOC). This exchange of information leads to a better understanding of the incentives of sophisticated and well-funded threat actors and how they evolve their TTPs to achieve those goals, which assists LinkedIn in their identification and removal. Any associated disinformation content is verified by our internal or external fact-checkers as needed, and coordinated inauthentic behaviours (CIBs) are also removed by our Threat Prevention and Defense team.
LinkedIn, along with its parent company, Microsoft, is heavily involved in threat exchanges. These threat exchanges take various forms, such as: 1) regular discussion amongst industry peers to discuss high-level trends and campaigns; and, 2) one-on-one engagement with individual peer companies to discuss TTPs and IOCs. This exchange of information leads to a better understanding of the incentives of sophisticated and well-funded threat actors and how they evolve their TTPs to achieve those goals, which assists us in their identification and removal.
LinkedIn always stands ready to receive and investigate any leads we receive from peers and other external stakeholders. In addition to one-on-one engagement with peers, we also consume intelligence from vendors and investigate any TTPs and IOCs made available in peer disclosures. In turn, we also regularly release information about policy-violating content on our platform in publicly-available transparency reports and blog posts.
