In December of 2024, LinkedIn updated its software, enforcing account restrictions across profiles using third-party automation tools. If you received one of these infamous “We’ve noticed automated activity on your account” messages or want to prevent the likelihood of seeing one in the future, this blog is for you.
We’ll walk you through the best preventative measures to keep your LinkedIn account safe and continue automating without worry.
My Account Was Restricted: What Next?
After taking a deep breath, there are a few steps we recommend taking in response to your account restriction.
- Review LinkedIn’s message: There are a few different types of restrictions (identify verification, low connection acceptance rate, too many actions, etc…), each with a different recommendation. Familiarize yourself with restrictions here.
- Pause automation temporarily: Temporarily pause any active We-Connect campaigns, allowing LinkedIn to verify behavior.
- Review action limits: Familiarize yourself with LinkedIn’s limits, ensuring your campaigns stay below the weekly invite and message limit.
- Use a proxy IP address: The best thing you can do to safely automate LinkedIn activity is to host that activity from your own IP address. We cover this in more detail below.
How Using Your Own IP Address Keeps Automation Safe
LinkedIn’s update in 2024 restricted accounts with inconsistencies in location or IP usage. Many accounts with users signed in from multiple locations were also flagged because of this. Due to LinkedIn’s continued surveillance of activity from different IP addresses, the best preventative measure to keep your account safe is hosting all activity from the matching IP address of the LinkedIn account owner.
On We-Connect, we call this feature BYOIP (bring your own IP). BYOIP ensures that all automated actions originate from a consistent and trusted location—similar to how you would browse LinkedIn on your desktop. This relatively simple step reduces the likelihood of LinkedIn flagging your account for suspicious behavior.
How to Host LinkedIn Activity From Your Own IP Address with We-Connect
To host LinkedIn activity from a specific IP address, you’ll need an IP proxy. Simply, a proxy IP is a gateway between your device and the rest of the internet, hosting certain activity from that proxy IP.
Setting up a proxy IP for LinkedIn automation is a straightforward process that we have detailed below:
Step 1: Choose a Trusted IP Provider
First, you’ll need to access a proxy IP address. There are a number of quality vendors in this market; however, we use Bright Data and find that it’s uncomplicated to set up and pay for.
Whether you’ve chosen to go with Bright Data or not, the general process of setting up your IP address is relatively straightforward.
Step 2: Select the Type of IP Address
Proxies come in several types, each suited for different purposes: data center (server), residential, and mobile proxies. For LinkedIn automation, the best choice is either a residential or mobile proxy. Here’s why:
- Residential proxies: These use IP addresses assigned to real homes, making them highly authentic and less likely to be flagged. Ideal for users who need stable, reliable IPs for consistent LinkedIn activity.
- Mobile proxies: These use IPs associated with mobile carriers, making them appear even more natural. Perfect if you need flexibility and dynamic IP rotation.
- Datacenter proxies: While they may be cheaper, datacenter proxies are often flagged by LinkedIn due to their association with large-scale automation or bot activity.
When selecting a provider, opt for a “pay-as-you-go” subscription, which gives you the flexibility to scale up or down based on your usage.
Step 3: Configure Your Proxy IP
Once you’ve selected your proxy, you’ll need to configure it for your automation setup. This involves adding the following details:
- Location: Choose the specific city of the account owner (if available). LinkedIn values location consistency, so matching your actual or primary operating location is ideal.
- Port Name: The port acts as the gateway for connecting the proxy to your automation tool. Your provider will likely supply this information.
- Username and Password: Some proxy services require authentication credentials to access their proxies. In many cases, you’ll be able to set a username and password.
- IP Rotation Settings (if applicable): For mobile proxies, you may have the option to enable rotation at specific intervals. This feature can mimic natural mobile behavior if required.
Pro Tip: Many providers, like Bright Data, offer free trials. Use these trials to test configurations before committing to a paid plan.
Step 4: Bring Your IP Address to We-Connect
Integrating your proxy IP with We-Connect is as simple as turning on BYOIP and entering the information above. It can be done for any LinkedIn account connected to We-Connect, by following these steps:
- Enable BYOIP: Turn on the BYOIP feature for a specific profile under the ‘LinkedIn Accounts’ page in the settings menu.
- Enter Proxy Information: Input the location, port name, username, and password (if applicable) from the configuration step.
- Test the Connection: Verify that the proxy is working correctly by testing the connection in your settings. A successful connection ensures smooth automation.
For more detailed instructions, refer to our step-by-step guide.
Step 5: Automate Activity
Once your proxy IP is connected, you’re ready to automate LinkedIn activity. To maximize safety:
- Enable Account Warm-Up: This feature gradually increases activity, mimicking natural behavior and reducing the risk of restrictions.
- Set Global Action Limits: Define conservative daily and weekly limits for connection requests, messages, and other actions to stay within LinkedIn’s guidelines.
- Monitor Campaigns Regularly: Use We-Connect’s analytics to track activity patterns and make adjustments if needed.
With your proxy IP in place, you’ll enjoy a secure and consistent automation experience, reducing the likelihood of restrictions while maximizing outreach efficiency.
Learn how to set up account warm-up and global action limits in We-Connect here.
The best proxies for LinkedIn automation are residential or mobile proxies. These are tied to real locations and appear natural to LinkedIn’s systems, reducing the chances of detection. Datacenter proxies, while cheaper, are more likely to be flagged.
No, a properly configured proxy should not negatively impact performance. On the contrary, it enhances security by maintaining consistent IP activity, helping to avoid restrictions on LinkedIn.
It’s not recommended. Each LinkedIn account should use its own dedicated proxy to avoid being flagged for sharing the same IP across multiple profiles.
LinkedIn flags accounts when its algorithms detect unusual patterns, such as multiple login locations, exceeding action limits, or using flagged proxies. BYOIP helps maintain consistent activity and reduces the likelihood of detection.
Conclusion
Using your own IP address is one of the most effective ways to automate LinkedIn activity securely. By maintaining consistency in your account’s location and activity patterns, you reduce the risk of restrictions and maximize your outreach potential.
Ready to automate safely? Get started with We-Connect and integrate your own IP address today.
