In our ongoing efforts to enhance the reliability and sustainability of our services, we have implemented a significant update regarding the scraping of missing LinkedIn profiles. Effective immediately, credits will be consumed when attempting to scrape a missing LinkedIn profile (resulting in a 404 status code). Allow us to explain the rationale behind this decision.
At Datamagnet, our API People Profile endpoint is designed to crawl public LinkedIn profiles. However, not all LinkedIn profiles, even if valid, are publicly accessible. In cases where a profile is not available to the public, our LinkedIn People Profile Endpoint returns a 404 status code.
Today, we are introducing an update to our service that charges credits when an API request is made to scrape a public LinkedIn profile that is missing from the public domain. This adjustment is crucial because the resources required to scrape both valid and invalid profiles remain consistent and equally expended.
Regrettably, we have encountered instances where our services were exploited by attackers using trial API keys to spam numerous requests to random invalid profile URLs. This malicious activity resulted in a significant strain on Datamagnet's API service, ultimately leading to a denial of service.
We sincerely appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we implement these changes to ensure the sustainability and reliability of our services. These measures are essential for supporting our users who rely on Datamagnet's services to build and grow their businesses. Thank you for your continued support as we strive to provide you with the best possible experience.
Image Credits: Image by storyset on Freepik
