LinkedIn is considering changing its censorship policies in China to make them less restrictive.
Executives of the social networking giant discussed the situation Tuesday, saying they are thinking about making changes to their rules, according to The Washington Post. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company had previous spent seven months censoring content from China that the government regards as too sensitive.
Hani Durzy, spokesman for LinkedIn, said the changes would be made so that content for Chinese users that is restricted in the country can be viewed by users from around the world.
LinkedIn has encountered the same issues that U.S. companies interested in doing business in China have faced since its launch in China in February, CNET reported. Strict censorship rules are imposed on what Chinese citizens can see, and companies that want to get involved in the Chinese market have to follow these rules.
Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, provided several terms for the Chinese deal, which included that the government would only implement content restrictions when they are required and to a certain extent. LinkedIn would use different methods to let users know about its business activities with China, and the company would make sure that its members' rights and data are secure.
Weiner said during LinkedIn's launch in China that the company might have to follow the country's censorship policies because making the site available in China would enable its citizens to secure their economic opportunities and rights, The Washington Post reported.
The CEO said in a conference call in July that China has become the fastest-growing market for new LinkedIn users.
However, during the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in June, LinkedIn was accused of blocking content related to the event, which focuses on a government crackdown and pro-democracy protests that took place in 1989, The Washington Post reported.
While LinkedIn said at the time that the problem was an accident and that the content could still be viewed in other parts of the world, some users still had their content blocked and said they would protest by closing their accounts. Users also accused the company of going against its own goals by restricting free-flowing communication.
Roger Rua, spokesman for LinkedIn, said at the time that the company is behind freedom of expression, but it has to follow China's censorship rules "in order to create value for our members in China and around the world," CNET reported.
