To Chinese guides, even the cut-off social media in the United States was too numerous.
Microsoft He said Thursday he would stop using social networking sites LinkedIn inside China at the end of the year. In a statement, the company described the “most difficult working environment and strict adherence to China.”
The announcement is a symbolic moment for US-China’s technical relations, as well as China’s new approach to trade. Microsoft’s departure is the largest departure from Google left the country in 2010 against cracking down and being accused of being a spy.
LinkedIn entered China in 2014 after agreeing to search its content for false information as well political issues, as Taiwan. Microsoft, which had a long and strong relationship with Chinese authorities, acquired LinkedIn in 2016. In recent years, it has become the only major US Internet service provider of Chinese content. LinkedIn says it will work on the China-board board in the country, removing social networking sites and sharing them on the site.
The exit shows the pressure on American companies as relations between the US-China grow and the Chinese government expands its economic power. Nina Xiang, a financial analyst and author of Nina US-China Tech War, a book on the subject of intense competition and cooperation between the two world powers.
“LinkedIn is the last major American company operating in China that affects content,” says Xiang. “After all, the decline between China and the rest of the world is just growing.”
The LinkedIn announcement follows months of cracking down on Chinese government pressure on its technology companies, with tough shooting and new rules. Significantly, this includes the system that will be operational by the end of this year monitoring and refining algorithms for support. This could explain what LinkedIn uses to showcase existing content and new business connections with users.
Microsoft has been working for a long time within Chinese manufacturing companies. The company set up an extensive research laboratory, Microsoft Research Asia, Beijing in 1998. Researchers trained there are found in China tech.
In 2012, lab members teamed up with Geoff Hinton, a talented modern pioneer, using a method called much study word recognition. The lab will continue until show the translation system between English and Mandarin in real time use the technology. Its introduction of AI helped to plant several Chinese AI companies.
Microsoft will continue to use the search engine, Bing, in China, even though it is less than 4% of the country’s search engines, According to Market.
Problems have grown on LinkedIn for months. In March, Chinese company executives were he says was criticized by the government for failing to address the political divisions on the platform, even though it was banned. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
In August the company he added that it was suspending new subscribers through the LinkedIn app “to ensure we comply with local laws,” he said. And in September the company increased its coverage by telling foreign journalists to have their history sealed by China
Chinese social networking companies, too, are facing some challenges as the government imposes stricter laws banning the use of data and algorithms.
Under pressure from the government, Ant Group, a financial activities around Alibaba Behind the widely used Alipay program, billions of IPO destruction plans in Hong Kong and Shanghai last November. The company was ordered to liquidate its business and make its mobile app aligned with its main rival, Tencent.
In April, the parent company of Ant Alibaba paid a fine of $ 2.8 billion by regulators for ecommerce business violations.
In August, public transport company DiDi was criticized for complying with its IPO despite concerns from Chinese internet regulators over data confidentiality. The company’s software has been removed from the Chinese market, and has been re-evaluated on its performance.