Microsoft To Shut Down LinkedIn In China

(RTTNews) - Tech giant Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) on Thursday announced that it is shutting down the localized version of LinkedIn in China, as the tech giant faces "more challenging operating environment" in the Asian country.

LinkedIn, which was launched in China in February 2014, was the last major U.S. social network still operating in China. Other major social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have been blocked for over a decade in the country.

In a blog post, LinkedIn senior vice-president Mohak Shroff, said, "We're also facing a significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China. Given this, we've made the decision to sunset the current localized version of LinkedIn."

Instead, Microsoft plans to launch a job search site in China that doesn't have social media features. The company plans to launch InJobs, a new, standalone jobs application for China, later this year. InJobs will not include a social feed or the ability to share posts or articles.

According to Wall Street Journal's report, Microsoft's decision to shut down LinkedIn in China comes after Chinese authorities in March told the company to improve its content monitoring and also issued a 30-day deadline. Last month, LinkedIn blocked several U.S. journalists in China, citing "prohibited content" in their profiles.