What is the bscookie cookie?
The bscookie is a third-party secure browser identifier cookie set by LinkedIn to track the use of embedded services, facilitate social logins, and support advertising features.
Table of Contents
About the bscookie cookie
| Vendor | |
|---|---|
| Cookie Domain | linkedin.com |
| Category Category The functional category of the technology, such as Web Analytics or Social Media. Learn more | Social Media |
| Consent Category Consent Category The consent category this cookie most commonly falls under across sites we scan, normalized into four standard categories. Learn more | Targeting & Advertising |
| Prevalence | Very Common |
| Popularity Popularity Popularity is calculated from our dataset of 4.5B+ cookies analyzed across hundreds of millions of web pages. Learn more | Found on 14.3% of scanned pages |
| Expiration Type | Timestamp |
| Expiration Duration | 30 days |
| Party Type Party Type Whether the cookie is first-party or third-party. Learn more | 3rd-Party |
| Risk Level Risk Level Rates how sensitive the data stored by this cookie is (High, Medium, or Low) based on data classification and distribution. Learn more | High |
| Vendor Privacy Policy | https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| Vendor Website | https://www.linkedin.com |
What is the purpose of the bscookie cookie?
The bscookie cookie is set by LinkedIn (part of Microsoft since 2016) when a website uses embedded LinkedIn services, such as the LinkedIn Insight Tag, 'Apply with LinkedIn' widgets, or social sharing buttons. Technically, it functions as a secure browser identifier that stores the logged-in status of a user, tracks users across sites with embedded LinkedIn integrations, and helps detect abuse on the platform. It is often paired with the bcookie to maintain session security (e.g., verifying two-factor authentication) and sync user data with LinkedIn's advertising and analytics services.
When deployed in a third-party context on external websites, LinkedIn uses this identifier to track visitors, monitor interactions with marketing campaigns, and present relevant targeted advertisements on the LinkedIn platform. Because it bridges user identity across third-party websites and the LinkedIn network, the cookie serves a dual purpose: enabling secure social features (like single sign-on) and powering cross-site behavioral profiling for advertising.
What are the Privacy Risks of the bscookie cookie?
Risk Level: High
The risk level is High because the bscookie cookie functions as a secure browser identifier that is actively used to track users across external domains. When a user visits a third-party site containing a LinkedIn Insight Tag or widget, the cookie allows LinkedIn to attribute the visit and cross-site browsing behavior directly to the user's personal LinkedIn profile, especially if they are logged in. This results in the sharing of potentially sensitive behavioral data and pseudonymous browsing history with a third-party advertising network to enable targeted advertising and cross-site profiling.
How to Remove the bscookie cookie from a Website
To remove the bscookie cookie, website administrators must identify and remove the LinkedIn embedded services that set it. This requires removing the LinkedIn Insight Tag script from the website's source code or Tag Management System (e.g., Google Tag Manager). Additionally, administrators must remove any embedded LinkedIn widgets, such as 'Apply with LinkedIn' buttons, social sharing plugins, or embedded post feeds. Since the cookie is inherently tied to the functionality of these features, it cannot be disabled independently without removing the corresponding LinkedIn integration entirely.
This definition was last reviewed on August 19, 2026. ObservePoint regularly reviews these definitions to ensure our customers have the most up to date information about the cookies on their websites.