Microsoft says it will shut down LinkedIn in China, citing a “challenging operating environment” as Beijing tightens control over tech firms.

The US-based company will replace the career-oriented social network in China with an application dedicated to applying for jobs but without the networking features, according to the senior vice-president of engineering, Mohak Shroff.

“We’re … facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China,” he said in a blog post on Thursday.

According to the Wall Street Journal, LinkedIn was given a deadline by Chinese internet regulators to better oversee content on the site.

Chinese authorities have been targeting a range of domestic tech behemoths for alleged monopolistic practices and aggressive harvesting of consumer data. The government has said it wants platforms to more actively promote core socialist values.

The drive is part of a wider government policy to tighten its grip on the world’s number two economy, including targeting private education, property and casinos.

Shroff said Microsoft would “sunset” the China version of LinkedIn and launch an InJobs application dedicated to connected professionals in that country with companies seeking employees.

LinkedIn, which launched in China in 2014 and lets people use personal and professional relationships to find jobs, said the new service would not include a social feed or the ability to share posts or articles.

Microsoft bought LinkedIn for just over $26bn in 2016 and has worked to build a presence in China despite concerns about online censorship.

In March, LinkedIn paused new sign-ups in China, saying it was working to be compliant with Chinese laws. Two months later, it was among 105 apps that was accused by China’s top internet regulator of illegally collecting and using personal information and was ordered to make rectifications.

The news website Axios reported last month that LinkedIn had blocked from its Chinese platform the profiles of several US journalists and academics which contained information China considers sensitive, citing “prohibited content”.

Facebook and Twitter have been banned in China for more than a decade. Google left the country in 2010 in response to a hacking attack and censorship.

The website of e-commerce giant Amazon is accessible in China, but the market there is dominated by local players such as Alibaba and JD.com.

______________________________________________________________________ “Your Must-Have Legal Classic” — 225-Page Hardback Offering The Definitive Guide To Electoral Security In Nigeria And The U.S. Edited by Dr. Akin Olawale Oluwadayisi, Ph.D; ACIArb, FIPDM, Notary Public, Awi Boluwaji, and Olumide Awoyemi, LL.M, Price: ₦20,000 or $20 per copy Order Your Copy Now:📧 Email: benakollegalclassics@gmail.com,📱 WhatsApp: 07038211889, 📞 Voice Call: 07065830466 | +2347038211889 ______________________________________________________________________ “Timely And Groundbreaking” — Babalola, Nnawuchi Release Casebook On Privacy & Data Protection In NigeriaA timely new publication, Casebook on Privacy & Data Protection in Nigeria, co-authored by Olumide Babalola and Uchenna Nnawuchi, 📘Casebook on Privacy & Data Protection in Nigeria is now available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/8TmFZrd ______________________________________________________________________ Explore Nigeria’s Constitutional System — 17 Chapters, 924 Pages Of Insight By Prof. Hagler Sunny Okorie
“Constitutional Law and Constitutionalism in Nigeria” By Prof. Hagler Sunny Okorie
Call to Order Your Copy: 📞 0803 766 7945 | 0802 863 6615 | 0803 225 3813 ✉️ haglersoco@gmail.com 🏢 Winners Chambers, 135 Ehi Road, Aba, Abia State ___________________________________________________________________ The books are available for purchase at: Online: www.educodex.com | www.selar.com | www.amazon.com | www.mikeozekhome.com Enquiries: +234 704 044 9375 | +234 814 813 4773 | +234 816 872 3532 Email: educodexl@gmail.com ______________________________________________________________________

[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials

“Evidence Act: Complete Annotation” by renowned legal experts Sanni & Etti.

Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation

______________________________________________________________________ “Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers: A Comprehensive Guide”, authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACiarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria. How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626