リンクトイン、中国で新規ユーザー登録中断　「法律順守」のため

【北京ＡＦＰ＝時事】米マイクロソフト傘下のビジネス向け交流サイト（SNS）「リンクトイン」は9日、中国でのコンプライアンス（法令順守）状況を調べる間、同国での新規ユーザー登録を一時停止すると発表した。（写真は資料写真）
　リンクトインは、中国の厳しい検閲法を順守することに同意した上で、２０１４年に中国語版サービスを開始した。現在中国で５０００万人以上が利用している。
　社会の安定の名の下に、政治的にデリケートだとみなされる話題はすべて検閲され、不適切と判断されたコンテンツは非公開とするようインターネット大手に強く求める中国で、リンクトインは国内からアクセスできる数少ない国際プラットフォームとなっていた。
　具体的にどの法律に触れたのかは、今のところ明らかになっていない。
　中国の法律に従うことを拒否するフェイスブックやツイッター、インスタグラム、ユーチューブなどのＩＴ大手のサービスは、「グレート・ファイアウオール」と呼ばれるネット検閲システムによって遮断された状態が続いている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/11-11:06）

Microsoft-owned social network LinkedIn has halted new member sign-ups for its service in China while it reviews its compliance with local laws, the company said in a statement.
The careers-focused site has had a Chinese-language presence since 2014, when it decided to expand by agreeing to stick to strict censorship laws, and now has over 50 million users in the country.
It is one of few international tech platforms to enjoy access to China, where all subjects considered politically sensitive are censored in the name of stability and internet giants are urged to block unwanted content online.
We're a global platform with an obligation to respect the laws that apply to us, including adhering to Chinese government regulations for our localized version of LinkedIn in China, the firm said in a notice dated Tuesday, without providing further details.
Tech giants who refuse to comply with the smothering censorship laws, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, have long been blocked behind the country's Great Firewall.
Microsoft, however, operates LinkedIn by complying with the rules through a local joint venture.
LinkedIn has been criticised in China for pulling the professional accounts of dissidents -- which it later said was in error -- and scratching politically sensitive content from its pages.
It was not immediately clear which laws had prodded LinkedIn's suspension of sign-ups.
Last week, Microsoft said a state-sponsored hacking group operating out of China was exploiting previously unknown security flaws in its Exchange email services to steal data from business users -- although Beijing has previously hit back at US accusations of state-sponsored cybertheft.
A LinkedIn spokesperson told Bloomberg that the move was not related to the hack.
Microsoft's journey in China has not been entirely smooth-sailing, with the company's search engine Bing temporarily taken offline in 2019 -- prompting speculation it had been blocked by censors.
In 2014, Chinese competition authorities opened an anti-monopoly investigation against Microsoft and its Windows software, with inspectors raiding the group's offices in four Chinese cities, confiscating files and questioning employees.