LinkedIn changes policy on banned content in China
Up until now, LinkedIn was blocking posts from its members in China that were deemed sensitive by China’s government—For example, posts about the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, or about Tibetan independence.
Censored content was not only blocked inside of China, but removed from LinkedIn’s site worldwide.
In an email to Marketplace, LinkedIn Director of Communications Hani Durzy wrote the company has officially changed its policy so that sensitive content will still be censored inside China, but not on its site outside China.
China social media expert Jeremy Goldkorn says LinkedIn isn’t the first Western company that has bent over backwards to please China’s government in return for access to its market.
“It’s a very difficult environment to navigate, because the lines shift. So today, you might be in a space where you feel comfortable and you feel like you’ve gone out of your way to please the government, but it still might not work,” says Goldkorn.
Bloomberg’s a good example. Late last year, the news site killed a story that exposed corruption among China’s leadership.
Despite the kowtow to China’s government, Bloomberg’s site in China remains blocked.
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