LinkedIn’s Crackdown on Data Scrapers: Why Apollo.io and Seamless.ai Were Targeted—And Who’s Next?

LinkedIn just sent shockwaves through the B2B data world by taking down the company profile pages of Apollo.io and Seamless.ai. While their products are still operational, LinkedIn’s move appears to be a direct response to their aggressive use of browser extensions and large-scale data scraping—both of which violate LinkedIn’s Terms of Service.

The big question now is: Why these two? Why now? And what comes next for other data providers like ZoomInfo, Clay, and others?

Let’s break it down.

Why Were Apollo.io and Seamless.ai Targeted?

1. LinkedIn Hates Data Scraping

For years, LinkedIn has been cracking down on unauthorized data scraping. They’ve fought legal battles, like the hiQ Labs lawsuit, and have implemented increasingly sophisticated bot-detection measures.

Both Apollo.io and Seamless.ai offer browser extensions that overlay LinkedIn profiles and extract data, including names, job titles, and potentially even contact details. This makes them high-profile offenders in LinkedIn’s eyes.

Key Issue:

• Extensions like these don’t use LinkedIn’s official API, meaning they bypass LinkedIn’s controls and extract data in ways LinkedIn never authorized.
• This isn’t just a terms-of-service violation—it’s a direct threat to LinkedIn’s control over its user data.

2. The Chrome Extensions Were a Red Flag

While many data providers rely on multiple sources to collect contact and company information, LinkedIn appears to be specifically cracking down on those using Chrome extensions to pull LinkedIn data.

Why?

• Chrome extensions operate within the browser and can extract real-time data directly from LinkedIn pages.
• LinkedIn can’t control this through API permissions, making it a much bigger risk for data leakage.
• Apollo and Seamless both heavily promoted their Chrome extensions as a way to get instant contact information from LinkedIn profiles.

By taking down their company pages, LinkedIn is sending a message to every other data provider using extensions: You’re next.

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3. Microsoft Wants to Protect Its Revenue Streams

Let’s not forget—LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft. And Microsoft has been doubling down on Sales Navigator and LinkedIn Recruiter—their own first-party data monetization tools.

Think about it:

• LinkedIn doesn’t want third-party tools giving away data for free (or at a lower cost) when it can sell that data through Sales Navigator.
• The removal of Apollo.io and Seamless.ai’s pages could be a strategic move to push users toward LinkedIn’s paid solutions.
• Microsoft is also deeply invested in AI and data security, meaning unauthorized data extraction is now a direct business risk for them.

Why Not ZoomInfo, Clay, or Other Data Providers?

If Apollo.io and Seamless.ai were removed, why are ZoomInfo, Clay, and other players still standing?

1. ZoomInfo Plays by Different Rules

Unlike Apollo and Seamless, ZoomInfo doesn’t rely on scraping LinkedIn directly.

Instead, ZoomInfo uses:

• Contributory network data (data shared by companies and professionals).
• Web crawling and other third-party data sources to build its database.

Even though ZoomInfo has a Chrome extension, it does not extract data directly from LinkedIn—it simply overlays its own pre-existing data. That distinction might be what keeps them in the clear… for now.

2. Clay Is More of a Workflow Tool

Clay is a powerful data-enrichment platform, but it’s not primarily a scraping tool. While it allows users to pull in data from multiple sources, it doesn’t operate as a direct LinkedIn scraping tool in the way Apollo and Seamless do.

• If Clay or similar companies start integrating scraping-based data sources, they might end up on LinkedIn’s radar.
• But for now, they operate in more of a data workflow automation space, making them less of a direct threat to LinkedIn’s control.

3. The "Gray Zone" Players Are Next

There are many other tools that offer some level of LinkedIn scraping, including:

• LeadIQ
• PhantomBuster
• Lusha
• SalesIntel

If these companies rely on browser extensions or scraping, they could be the next targets of LinkedIn’s crackdown.

What Happens Next?

This isn’t just about two companies losing their LinkedIn pages—it’s about a fundamental shift in how B2B data is sourced, controlled, and monetized.

1. Expect More Bans and Takedowns

If LinkedIn is serious about enforcing its policies, we could see:
✅ More company pages taken down.
✅ Increased CAPTCHA challenges and anti-bot protections.
✅ Lawsuits against other data-scraping providers.

2. A Push Toward First-Party and API-Based Data

Companies will need to pivot toward first-party data collection and compliant enrichment models.

• Expect a shift toward API-driven data partnerships rather than scraping.
• Opt-in contact data will become more valuable than ever.
• Custom, on-demand data solutions (like LeadGenius) that don’t rely on LinkedIn scraping will have a major competitive advantage.

3. Microsoft and LinkedIn Will Monetize Their Own Data

This crackdown may not just be about enforcement—it could also be a commercial play.

• LinkedIn Sales Navigator and LinkedIn Recruiter could soon introduce new data licensing models.
• Microsoft may restrict external data providers further while offering its own premium data products.
• B2B companies will need to decide: pay LinkedIn for data, or find new compliant sources?

Final Thoughts: The Future of B2B Data

The removal of Apollo.io and Seamless.ai from LinkedIn is just the beginning. Whether this is just a warning shot or the start of a full-scale industry crackdown, one thing is clear:

🚨 The old way of scraping LinkedIn data is dying.
✅ The future of B2B data is in first-party, permission-based, and API-driven insights.

What Should Sales & Marketing Leaders Do?

Now is the time to reassess your data strategy:
1️⃣ Check if your data providers rely on scraping—they could be at risk.
2️⃣ Invest in compliant, high-quality data sources that don’t depend on LinkedIn scraping.
3️⃣ Focus on real-time, signal-based insights to stay ahead of the competition.

The Bottom Line

If your sales and marketing team depends on LinkedIn scraping tools, you’re on borrowed time.
The winners in this new era will be those who adapt early—leveraging custom data insights, first-party collection, and strategic partnerships to fuel their go-to-market strategy.

The question isn’t if LinkedIn will escalate its crackdown.
The question is: Are you ready for what comes next?