LinkedIn Looking To Adjust Chinese Censorship Policy In Favor Of Users

Earlier this year, LinkedIn became the only American social network that has been able to penetrate China. While this has been considered a win, Bloomberg has released an article chronicling the challenges that LinkedIn has faced under such stringent censorship. Turns out that this stringent censorship is not only limited to China, but extends to members hoping to extend messages outside the country.

In the current environment, when a user shares an update that is deemed to be in conflict with the Chinese government’s rules, the post is blocked not only in China but around the world. This eradicates all reach of a message, not just in China, but also worldwide. According to LinkedIn spokesperson, Hani Durzy, LinkedIn is reviewing this policy:

[blockquote]“We do want to get this right, and we are strongly considering changing our policy so that content from our Chinese members that is not allowed in China will still be viewed globally,” [/blockquote]

LinkedIn is currently notifying its users when content is being blocked globally due to censorship reasons, but this may soon change. China is officially LinkedIn’s fastest growing major market for new members. Toeing the line of enough censorship while empowering users will be a delicate dance to watch over the coming months.

For the full story see the article on Bloomberg.