The social network for professional contacts LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, will stop operating a localized version of the platform in China amid increasing censorship on the Internet in that country, CNBC reports.
The company said in a statement that the social network faced “a much more complex work environment and stricter regulatory requirements.”
LinkedIn will leave China before the end of the year. Instead, Microsoft will launch a new service, InJobs, designed specifically for that country.
The app will allow local professionals to look for work, and Chinese companies – good candidates, but it will not have a news feed like other social networks, or the ability to share publications or articles, according to Bloomberg. LinkedIn started operating in China in 2014, but the functionality of the social network was limited.
In March of this year, the social network suspended the registration of new users in the country, saying that it is working to ensure compliance with local laws.
Earlier in the month, The New York Times wrote, citing sources, that the Chinese regulator issued a warning to the service for “failing to control political content.”
In recent months, LinkedIn has notified several human rights defenders, academics, and journalists based in China that their profiles have been blocked because they contain prohibited content. The service had about 52 million users in mainland China.
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