Microsoft + LinkedIn: Employee Privacy?

Today Microsoft announced it "will acquire LinkedIn for $196 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $26.2 billion."

LinkedIn is increasingly the means for employees to connect with new career opportunities. Microsoft increasingly represents Enterprise customers rather than individual consumers.  What affect might this deal have on workplace privacy?

Microsoft plans to sell "individual and organization subscriptions and targeted advertising."  But who is Microsoft's principle customer?  If it is the enterprise, what employee information might this provide employers?

"Today, there is no one source of truth for an individual profile - the data is scattered across many endpoints with outdated or incomplete information.  In the future, a professional's profile will be unified and the right data at the right time will surface in an app, whether Outlook, Skype, Offices, or elsewhere."

Microsoft plans to "Drive increased engagement across LinkedIn, Office 365, and Dynamics." This should bolster Microsoft's competitive position against enterprise 'Cloud' heavyweight SalesForce.com. In fact, Microsoft specifically makes specific mention of an improved vision for MS Dynamics customers.

"In the future, professionals will move from selling to social selling. Users Of Dynamics CRM and all Other CRM systems will want to directly connect with Linkedln Sales Navigator. This will transform the sales cycle with actionable insights and the ability for each seller to build deeper relationships with prospects and customers."

Using the social platform to drum up sales should hardly be unexpected.  However, Microsoft also hints a Orwellian corporate dystopia. 

"In the future, we can give leaders the insight they need to understand their talent (like who they are, where they come from, where they go next) as well as their employees' effectiveness (like where they spend time and who they collaborate with)."

Selling corporations insight into their employees certainly could be compelling.

But for the employee?  ..not so much.

Time will tell.

Source:
Microsoft: World’s Leading Professional Cloud + World’s Leading Professional Network

See also:
Computerworld: I don’t want to be LinkedIn with Microsoft  (Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols)