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LinkedIn kills its Intro email service after less than four months

LinkedIn kills its Intro email service after less than four months

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LinkedIn Intro
LinkedIn Intro

LinkedIn just announced that it'll be shutting down Intro, a service meant to integrate LinkedIn contact details right into the iOS Mail app, after less than four months. LinkedIn simply said it was discontinuing the service in an effort to "focus on the most relevant offerings for our members." While the company didn't come right out and say it, though, it's safe to assume Intro never found a significant following — probably due to security concerns rising from the fact that LinkedIn had to scan every email that came into your inbox.

In the days immediately following LinkedIn Intro's launch, security researchers reacted quickly and negatively. Security firm Bishop Fox called the service "a dream for attackers" and Richard Bejtlich, a researcher at Mandiant, echoed that sentiment. "I don't think people who use this are seriously thinking about the implication of LinkedIn seeing and changing their email," Bejtlich told The New York Times following Intro's October launch. "It just completely breaks the idea that email traffic is going where it should go and no place else."

While LinkedIn quickly responded to those concerns and said the service had "the most secure implementation we believed possible," it looks like the stigma of a potential attack was enough to shy consumers away from the service. If your'e one of those who used LinkedIn Intro, the service will work until March 7th, at which point it'll be shut off completely. LinkedIn notes in an email sent to Intro users that you'll need to go through steps to disable Intro or else your email accounts won't work normally after the shutdown date.