Microsoft closes Linkedin in China over censorship. Microsoft announced Thursday that it will shut down its professional social network LinkedIn in China due to a “challenging operating environment” as Beijing tightens control over technology companies.
The US company will replace LinkedIn in China with another application dedicated to applying for jobs, said vice president of engineering Mohak Shroff. “We are facing … a much more challenging operational environment and higher compliance requirements in China,” Schroff said in a blog.
According to The Wall Street Journal, LinkedIn received a deadline from the Chinese authorities to better monitor its content, dedicated to professional issues and employment opportunities.
The Chinese authorities targeted several tech giants for their alleged monopolistic practices and aggressive consumer data collection. That push from Beijing is part of its policy of tightening control of the world’s second-largest economy in sectors such as private education, property and casinos.
Microsoft bought LinkedIn for just over $ 26 billion in 2016, and worked to build its presence in China despite concerns about online censorship. Google left China in 2010 in response to acts of hacking and censorship.
Amazon, the global colossus of digital commerce, is accessible in China but there the market is dominated by local players such as Alibaba and JD.com.
