Microsoft Shuts Down LinkedIn In China - Citing 'Unsafe Environment' As Reason
LinkedIn is closing down its social networking
site in China - making it the last major US social media company to leave
the country.
The Microsoft-owned company announced
on Thursday that it was closing down the localized version of its popular
networking website due to "a significantly more challenging operating
environment and greater compliance requirements in China."
LinkedIn has 53 million users in
China - accounting for approximately 7% of its total user base.
Microsoft
does not disclose how much of LinkedIn's revenue comes from China, which the
company recently announced had surpassed the $10 billion mark.
The company announced that the
Chinese version of its website would be replaced by a new job-board service
called "In Jobs", which would lack any of the social media functions
found on the full LinkedIn site.
Chinese users will be unable to share posts or
news articles on this pared-down version.
In March, the country's internet regulator summoned LinkedIn and ordered it to clean up its online content. In the same month,
LinkedIn announced that it was "temporarily pausing new member sign-ups for LinkedIn China" in order to comply "with local law."
According to the company, several
human-rights activists and writers with a focus on China have had their
profiles blocked in the country in recent months for posting "prohibited
content."
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