'This is obscene': LinkedIn now censoring U.S. journos on orders from China

Axios’ Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian shared this email she received from the U.S.-based LinkedIn informing her that the company will be censoring her profile to readers in China due to “the presence of prohibited content” located in her profile.

“I used to have to wait for Chinese govt censors, or censors employed by Chinese companies in China, to do this kind of thing,” she tweeted.  “Now a US company is paying its own employees to censor Americans”:

I woke up this morning to discover that LinkedIn had blocked my profile in China.

I used to have to wait for Chinese govt censors, or censors employed by Chinese companies in China, to do this kind of thing.

Now a US company is paying its own employees to censor Americans. pic.twitter.com/eRTq4u8rJl

— B. Allen-Ebrahimian (@BethanyAllenEbr) September 28, 2021

This isn’t a good look, LinkedIn:

US company LinkedIn now works as a censor on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, blocking my Axios colleague’s profile because of her critical reporting on the CCP. You should follow Bethany. She is a diligent, ethical reporter and we are lucky to have her at Axios. https://t.co/4yEfXojXyp

— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) September 30, 2021

Companies need to take a stand, now:

"If LinkedIn’s behavior is normalized, it sends a message to companies across the globe that it is business as usual to enforce Beijing’s censorship demands globally."

— @PENamerica CEO Suzanne Nosselhttps://t.co/9VK4H540rz

— B. Allen-Ebrahimian (@BethanyAllenEbr) September 30, 2021

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Because “this is obscene”:

This is obscene. @LinkedIn, a US company, is censoring a US journalist and her ability to reach Chinese readers at the bidding of China's censorious regime. @BethanyAllenEbr's reporting is essential, and I hope this backfires and draws even more attention to her work. https://t.co/BxZhOnEkMc

— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) September 30, 2021

But the “influence that Communist China is holding over American corporation is only deepening”:

Wake up and smell the coffee. The influence that Communist China is holding over American corporations is only deepening. https://t.co/f3KPhCAOkR

— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) September 30, 2021

Yeah, maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all:

https://twitter.com/fredbauerblog/status/1443611182338908161

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