A conservative legal group is demanding that LinkedIn remove its “Diversity in Recruiting” feature, saying it violates last week’s Supreme Court ruling against race-based affirmative motion in higher education.
The Microsoft-owned tech company claims to have 930 million members in greater than 200 countries all over the world and admits to collecting demographic data which “may differentiate the group of candidates presented to recruiters.”
The Equal Protection Project lawyers William Jacobson and Ameer Benno sent their concerns to LinkedIn’s Sunnyvale, California, headquarters on July 5 after the country’s highest court struck down race-sensitive admissions programs at Harvard and North Carolina University as unconstitutional.
The implications for the data utilized in recruitment at the moment are resonating as a legal threat as employers reassess their diversity programs and prepare for possible legal challenges.
“Such discrimination simply can’t be justified as work-related or business necessity. That was the law before the Fair Party Students were released, and within the slightest doubt, the Supreme Court settled the matter once and for all. LinkedIn should take note and comply with them,” Jacobson and Benno wrote in a letter to LinkedIn.
![Civil rights watchdog demands LinkedIn](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013689592.jpg?w=1024)
The Supreme Court’s decision relied on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, but dissenting justices in a scathing opinion said the ruling would exacerbate racial inequality on campuses by reducing the number of professionals of color.
![Legal Insurrection Foundation attorneys William Jacobson and Ameer Benn sent a letter to LinkedIn asking them to remove the feature from the website.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013688824.jpg?w=552)
![LinkedIn told The Post that it makes sure its website doesn't](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000013688823.jpg?w=552)
In an announcement to the Post, LinkedIn defended its diversity efforts for members and job seekers as appropriate.
“One option to ensure equal access for people is to grasp the gender, race, ethnicity and other essential demographics of our members after which measure whether everyone is on an equal footing on our platform.”
“Many employers use LinkedIn to attach with different groups of qualified candidates for his or her positions. We frequently evaluate latest ways to make sure our tools recommend qualified candidates, but we don’t allow recruiters to filter or exclude candidates based on their race, gender or other protected demographics,” the corporate said.
“Individuals who use [our site] select whether or to not share their demographic information and control how their information is used through your settings.
But lawyers disputed the corporate’s explanation, saying that LinkedIn sorts and filters members based on race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation for recruiters.
Conservative advocacy groups celebrated the ruling, calling it a essential step to finish racial prejudice and discrimination in education and the workforce.
Jacobson, without saying whether he would file a discrimination lawsuit against LinkedIn, told The Post “now we have notified them of the legal ramifications of what they’re doing.”