Why was LinkedIn delisted?

LinkedIn, the professional networking platform owned by Microsoft, was recently delisted from search engines in China. This removal from search engine results pages (SERPs) prevents LinkedIn from being discoverable by users in China when searching on engines like Baidu. The delisting is seen as the latest move by the Chinese government to control access to foreign internet services. So what events led to LinkedIn being blocked in China, and what does this mean for the company and other tech firms operating in the country?

What caused the LinkedIn blocking in China?

LinkedIn’s disappearance from Chinese search results appears to be directly related to government demands that LinkedIn comply with internet regulations within China. Specifically, the government took issue with material shared by some LinkedIn users that was deemed objectionable by Chinese authorities.

China operates a vast system of online censorship and content restrictions often referred to as the “Great Firewall of China.” The firewall blocks many foreign websites and services, from Facebook and Twitter to Western news outlets. LinkedIn has agreed to censorship on its Chinese site since launching there in 2014, removing prohibited content like criticisms of the Chinese government.

However, in 2021 LinkedIn received criticism from Western media outlets for compromising on free speech values and accommodating Chinese censorship demands. This negative press seemed to spur Chinese authorities to put further pressure on LinkedIn around prohibited content being shared on the platform.

In March 2021, LinkedIn announced it would pause new member sign-ups in China while it ensured compliance with government regulations. This appears to have been an attempt to address Chinese authorities’ demands that LinkedIn increase censorship or face being blocked entirely.

Timeline of LinkedIn blocking

• March 2021 – LinkedIn pauses new sign-ups in China and says it is working to ensure compliance with regulations.
• August 2021 – Chinese regulators warn LinkedIn about unlawful content being published on the site.
• October 2021 – LinkedIn says it took action against multiple accounts and posts that violated Chinese rules.
• October 14, 2021 – Searches for LinkedIn began intermittently failing in China, signaling delisting by search engines.

This sequence of events indicates that despite LinkedIn’s efforts to address Chinese demands, authorities remained dissatisfied and moved forward with removing the site from search engine results.

How does China’s internet censorship work?

To understand LinkedIn being blocked, it helps to know how online censorship operates in China. The government imposes strict regulations and surveillance of internet activity, enforcing these rules through various technical means.

Methods used to censor the internet in China

• IP blocking – Preventing access to certain websites by blocking their IP addresses.
• DNS filtering – Removing domain names from the DNS directory so URLs cannot be resolved.
• URL filtering – Blocking specific web page URLs to make them inaccessible.
• Deep packet inspection – Scanning data packets for blacklisted keywords and other suspicious content.
• Manual enforcement – Government human reviewers analyzing and removing content.
• Keyword blocking – Auto-filtering search terms, posts, and other data containing prohibited words.

These technical controls allow the government to dynamically filter internet content and restrict what can be accessed in China. Foreign platforms like LinkedIn that operate in China are expected to implement these censorship tools to comply with government standards.

Internet regulations LinkedIn violated

Chinese authorities state that LinkedIn failed to properly manage content on its Chinese site and app in accordance with the following laws and regulations:

• Provisions on the Administration of Internet User Public Accounts
• Administrative Provisions on Internet Information Services
• Internet User Account Name Management Regulations
• Management Provisions on Internet Forum Community Services
• Administrative Measures for Content Prohibited from Transmission Over the Internet

These rules restrict things like spreading rumors, obscenity, violence, speech against the government, and false information that could disrupt public order. The Chinese internet regulator accused LinkedIn of “serious violations” of this prohibited content.

How will the blocking impact LinkedIn and Microsoft?

Having its website and app restricted in China could significantly impact LinkedIn’s usage, revenue, and reputation. Here are some possible implications of the service being delisted:

Loss of market share in China

With 706 million internet users, China represents LinkedIn’s biggest market potential after the United States. Being blocked cuts off LinkedIn from this massive user base and removes a key growth opportunity.

Lower advertising & premium subscription revenue

Fewer users and diminished activity due to the blocking will directly translate into lower ad views and conversion. Premium subscription sales could also take a hit without easy access to purchase or renew accounts.

Reputational damage and controversy

Censoring content seen as objectionable by Western standards risks backlash and public criticism outside China. However, failure to comply with government rules would make being banned inevitable.

Warning to other tech companies

LinkedIn’s blocking reminds global tech firms they must play by China’s rules or lose access entirely. This applies to other services like Apple, Google, Facebook and more.

Will LinkedIn remain blocked indefinitely?

It is unclear if or when LinkedIn’s delisting in China may be reversed. For now the service remains inaccessible through search engines and difficult to join or use within the country. A few possible scenarios include:

• LinkedIn remains blocked until it can convince Chinese regulators the service is sufficiently filtered and compliant with restrictions.
• Microsoft shuts down LinkedIn’s Chinese site and app entirely to avoid having to enforce censorship.
• Authorities intermittently restore access before future blocking if violations occur again.
• The service stays restricted indefinitely with no path to restoring search engine visibility.

Much depends on how aggressively Microsoft is willing to implement content restrictions based on Chinese law to have the blocking lifted. But the company risks further backlash over censorship if it capitulates to government demands.

Comparison to other banned websites in China

LinkedIn is not the first foreign internet service to get banned in China over regulatory disputes. Services like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp, Google, and more are permanently blocked or restricted:

Foreign news outlets like BBC News, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, and more are also routinely blocked or heavily restricted.

In most cases like Facebook and Google, the companies would not agree to Chinese censorship demands, so remain entirely banned. LinkedIn took the approach of trying to comply with government rules, but still faced being delisted anyway.

Will LinkedIn be forced to handover user data?

Another potential concern around LinkedIn’s operations in China is whether user data will be secure, or if the government will gain access. Chinese regulations require companies to surrender user information and data when requested for government investigations or censorship enforcement.

Microsoft could be compelled to hand over profiles, posts, messages, and connection data of Chinese LinkedIn users if pressured by authorities. This raises concerns around privacy, surveillance, tracking of dissidents, and human rights violations aided by the data.

However, Microsoft claims no Chinese government requests for LinkedIn user data have been received so far. And the company states it would push back on any “overbroad” requests for private user information that go beyond normal law enforcement needs.

Still, operating any service under Chinese internet rules comes with the strong likelihood of having to share data with the government to some degree. Users in China should assume a lack of data and privacy protections when using LinkedIn or other foreign internet services.

Can LinkedIn be accessed in China at all?

While LinkedIn is now blocked from search and largely inaccessible without a VPN, it has not been 100% comprehensively banned. Those in China who already have the LinkedIn app installed, or bookmarks to the desktop site, can potentially still access it.

However, this access is being throttled and restricted by Chinese ISPs through methods like DNS poisoning. This will make LinkedIn extremely slow and unreliable to connect to from China without a VPN service to circumvent the blocking.

Using a VPN to route connections through servers in other countries can restore access to LinkedIn in China. But Chinese authorities actively scan for and seek to block the use of VPNs as well.

Accessing LinkedIn using a VPN

To access blocked websites and apps in China, a VPN client such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or others is required. These tools disguise internet traffic and obscure a user’s location, allowing circumvention of geo-blocks.

VPN usage in China carries risks of fines and penalties if detected, as authorities discourage evasion of censorship rules. But many in China continue relying on VPNs to use Google, Facebook, Western media, and more.

VPNs represent the primary method users within China can still access LinkedIn and other blocked foreign internet services.

Conclusion

LinkedIn being banned in China is the latest example of the divide between Chinese internet regulation and the openness of the web in Western nations. For Microsoft, it represents a setback to reaching China’s 700 million internet users and puts a cloud over the future of LinkedIn’s operations in the country.

To return to good standing, LinkedIn will likely have to demonstrate its willingness and technical capacity to aggressively monitor and censor content on its Chinese platform. But LinkedIn still faces an uncertain future in China due to fundamental conflicts over speech, openness, and user privacy.

This delisting also serves as a warning to any foreign tech brand seeking to operate in China – comply with government demands or face expulsion. As China continues tightening internet controls, the barriers separating Chinese web users from the open global internet grow higher.

Microsoft faces difficult choices ahead in navigating LinkedIn’s presence in China and balancing government relations with corporate values. But the blocking also symbolizes the growing bifurcation of the internet between China and much of the rest of the world.