LinkedIn is terminating its controversial Intro product, barely one quarter after bringing it to market. Intro is a service designed to embed LinkedIn information into messages within the iOS e-mail client on iPhones and iPads.
However, the product had received a storm of criticism, primarily over security and privacy concerns, and in the short period since the Intro launch, LinkedIn has failed to convince many users to adopt it.
Intro worked by configuring a mail proxy in the iOS device. The proxy, hosted by LinkedIn, would then intercept all of a user's e-mail and edit it, adding LinkedIn data.
Although LinkedIn promised not to abuse the access it would gain to its users' sensitive data, critics were horrified.
Users who did install the Intro service will need to manually uninstall it before the termination date (7 March), or e-mail on their devices will stop working.
Intro is among several LinkedIn products facing the axe, in a streamlining of operations intended to focus the company on core products. Slidecast, a media-sharing service, will also be closed, and support for LinkedIn apps on iOS versions older than 6, and Android versions older than 3, will end as well.
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