Delhi author faces sexual harassment on LinkedIn, shares screenshots: 'Utterly helpless'

Nishtha Gautam's experience sparked a wave of reactions online, with many expressing solidarity and urging her to file formal complaints with relevant authorities. (Image: @TedhiLakeer/X)

Delhi-based academic and author Nishtha Gautam recently shared her experience of being subjected to sexual harassment on LinkedIn, a platform primarily intended for professional networking. The incident has prompted a broader conversation about how digital spaces, including LinkedIn, handle complaints of inappropriate behaviour.

The harassment began when Gautam accepted a seemingly innocuous connection request from a man named Tulsi Kumar, who initially engaged her in a professional context. After a brief and polite response to his "thank you" message in May, Kumar began sending her a series of unsolicited and inappropriate direct messages, including comments about her appearance. One of his messages read, “You look so stunning & beautiful in grey hairs ma'am ji, looks very unique.” Gautam ignored these messages, assuming that silence would discourage further interaction.

pic.twitter.com/Ni4MB5atEP
Nishtha Gautam (@TedhiLakeer) September 10, 2024

However, on the morning of September 10, the situation escalated. Gautam discovered sexually charged messages from Kumar, who had also found her Instagram profile and begun engaging with her posts there. The persistence of these unsolicited messages pushed her to block and report Kumar on LinkedIn.

3. And on the morning of 10 September, I woke up to this age old sexually charged bullshit. This man also found my Instagram earlier yesterday and left likes and comments there using his company id. Ive had a policy of keeping my social accounts open because thats who I am.Nishtha Gautam (@TedhiLakeer) September 10, 2024

Yet, when attempting to report the harassment, Gautam realised LinkedIn’s system does not have a dedicated option for reporting sexual harassment specifically. In her post on X (formerly Twitter), she expressed frustration at the lack of suitable options in the platform's reporting mechanism. “LinkedIn doesn’t even give an option for reporting harassment on its platform when you proceed to block and report someone. The reportage mechanism doesn’t even recognise sexual harassment,” she wrote, sharing a screenshot of the reporting interface to highlight the absence of this feature.

4. Whats even more frustratingalmost criminalhowever, is that @LinkedIn doesnt even give an option for reporting harassment on its platform when you proceed to block and report someone. The reportage mechanism doesnt even recognise sexual harassment. See screenshot.
Nishtha Gautam (@TedhiLakeer) September 10, 2024

While LinkedIn has general policies aimed at curbing abusive behaviour, the incident raises questions about how effectively these tools address more serious forms of misconduct, such as sexual harassment. Gautam, reflecting on the incident, wrote, “I have all the privileges you can count—caste, class, religion, skin colour, education, everything. Yet, I’m utterly helpless, and I don’t know when this will stop. If it ever stops.”

This incident underscores a larger issue that women face across social media platforms, including LinkedIn. Though perceived as a professional network, LinkedIn is not immune to the types of harassment often reported on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X. A study by Forbes found that 91 percent of women surveyed reported receiving romantic advances or sexually inappropriate messages on LinkedIn at least once during their time on the platform.

Gautam's experience sparked a wave of reactions online, with many expressing solidarity and urging her to file formal complaints with relevant authorities. Some comments called for stricter actions by LinkedIn, while others emphasised the importance of online safety and the need for clearer, more effective reporting mechanisms. “Women are unsafe in digital spaces, much like they are in public spaces. Platforms need to take a more active role in ensuring the safety of their users,” one comment read.

Reacting to the incident, LinkedIn stated: "People expect their experience on LinkedIn to be professional and free of harassment. Our Professional Community Policies include detailed examples of what kind of content isn’t allowed and are clear that harassment, including unwanted romantic advances, does not belong on LinkedIn. That’s why we invest in technology and our teams of experts to keep LinkedIn a professional place that every member of the global workforce can trust."

"We’ve also added an optional advanced safety feature that detects harmful messages. When enabled, this feature allows LinkedIn’s automated machine learning models to detect likely harmful content, like sexual harassment, within messages and hide it. These updates make it easier for members to report and our team to act. Learn more about how to turn on the setting here. We encourage members to report inappropriate comments or messages on LinkedIn, so our team can help protect them and others. Read more about how we’re working everyday to keep our community trusted and professional here.”