Microsoft shuts down LinkedIn in China due to "complex operating environment"
LinkedIn will close the Chinese version of its service at the end of this year. The company cited "a significantly more challenging operating environment and higher compliance requirements in China" as the reason for closing the local edition of its social network for professionals.
"While we have been successful in helping Chinese users find jobs and economic opportunities, we have not found the same success in the more social aspects of information sharing and informing," LinkedIn said in a statement. Thus, the company is not abandoning China entirely. It is working on a separate job board app called InJobs, which won't have a social feed or the ability to share posts or articles.
Background
LinkedIn agreed to abide by government restrictions and block certain content when it launched in China in February 2014. This year, however, there have been some signs of problems. In March, the company banned new Chinese users from signing up while it was checking for compliance with the country's laws. A couple of months later, China said 105 apps violated data collection laws, including LinkedIn.
The Microsoft-owned service was the last major American social network to still officially operate in China. Signal and Clubhouse were banned in the country earlier this year. Facebook and Twitter have been blocked there since 2009, and Instagram was banned in China in 2014.