Wiser! Essay: Microsoft have announced plans to shutdown Linkedin in China, the last of the Western social media platforms running in China.

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Microsoft has announced they will shut down the LinkedIn website in China and replace it with a China-specific version.

Microsoft said it would shut down LinkedIn due to a “significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements in China.” Instead, Microsoft will launch a job search site in China that doesn’t have LinkedIn’s social media features.

This comes in response to China's ongoing crackdown on technology companies. China recently issued LinkedIn with a 30 day warning over moderation policies and this appears to be the final straw.

LinkedIn is the last of the Western social media platforms operating in China. Facebook, Twitter and Google had all previously shut down their China operations.

China' approach is pretty clear cut in their current crackdown on BigTech. They've looked at the West and said "it ain't happening here". The CCP have no hesitation in sacrificing the wealth and prosperity of tech firms, unlike the US who seem to tolerate an ongoing debate about the harms caused by Facebook but do nothing about it.

I'm fascinated by the contrast in approaches from China, the USA and the EU when it comes to regulating BigTech. You can read previous essays and articles for Wiser! here...