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Professional networking site LinkedIn announced it will shut down its website in China because Chinas hefty compliance requirements have created a significantly more challenging operating environment. Its parent company, Microsoft, said it would replace LinkedIn China with a job listings website without a social media element later this year.

LinkedIns retreat from China sends a warning to all Western companies that there is no middle ground between Chinas authoritarian system and Western liberal democratic values. They must choose a side.

LinkedIn launched in China in 2014. It was the only Western social media site that operated openly in China, as Chinese authorities blocked other Western social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn paid its admission price for the Chinese market by agreeing to adhere to the Chinese governments rules, including censorship requirements.

Like all Western companies doing business in China, LinkedIn claimed that to comply with Chinas law it had no choice but to censor content Chinese authorities object to. LinkedIn insisted the censorship was very light and in no way contradicted the company supporting free speech.

Still, LinkedIns censorship has caused great concern in the United States. In 2019, LinkedIn made headlines by blocking the profile of a U.S.-based Chinese dissident, Zhou Fengsuo. Zhou was one of the student leaders of the 1989 pro-democracy protest in Tiananmen Square.

After the Chinese government brutally cracked down on protestors, Zhou was forced into exile in the United States. He co-founded a nonprofit organization to aid human rights activists and organizations in China. On January 3, 2019, Zhou tweeted out a notice from LinkedIn, which stated that although the company strongly supports freedom of expression, Zhous profile and activities would not be viewable because of specific content on your profile.

Zhou demanded an answer in atweet, This is how censorship spread from Communist China to Silicon Valley in the age of globalization and digitalization. How does LinkedIn get the order from Beijing? After Zhous tweet received wide media attention, LinkedIn reversed its action and unblocked Zhous account,claiming his profile had been blocked in error.

As Chinas leader Xi Xinping seeks to return China to the Maoist socialist model and intensify his suppression of dissenting voices, he demands more censorship from Chinese and foreign companies. Early this year, Chinese regulators visited LinkedIns headquarters in China and gave the company 30 daysto clean up its content. The companydisclosedthat it had to stop new member sign-ups in China for weeks to ensure we remain in compliance with local law.

LinkedIn learned the hard way that capitulation to Beijing is not a one-time action but a process. Once you bend the knee, Beijing will soon demand a better attitude and posture. Surrender leads to more surrender because Beijing always wants more.

LinkedIns censorship on behalf of the Chinese government reached new heights in recent months. It used to only remove individual posts that Chinese censors did not like. But recently, LinkedIn blocked profiles and posts of foreign journalists, academics, researchers, and human rights activists from its China-based websites.

Well-known journalists affected includedAxios Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Vice News Melissa Chan, and U.K.-based author Greg Bruno. All of them have written about Beijings human rights violations in the past. All received similar messages from LinkedIn, which claims their profiles were blocked in LinkedIn China due to prohibited content in the summary section of these journalists profiles.

Besides these well-known journalists, LinkedIn also banned academics and researchers. One of them is Eyck Freymann, a Ph.D. student at Oxford University. According to theWall Street Journal, Freymanns profile was probably blocked in China because he included the words Tiananmen Square massacre in an entry describing his job as a research assistant for a book in 2015.

To add insult to injury, LinkedIn offered suggestions to those affected: modifying their content to remove the ban. Greg Bruno, author of a bookon Chinas soft power on Tibet, disclosed in an interview with Verdict, LinkedIn suggests that my ban is not permanent, and that I am welcome to update the Publications section of my profile to minimize the impact of my offending content.

Bruno rejected LinkedIns offer. HetoldVerdict: While I am not surprised by the Chinese Communist Partys discomfort with the topic of my book, I am dismayed that an American tech company is caving to the demands of a foreign government intent on controlling access to information.

LinkedIn refused to explain whether its recent heightened censorship resulted from self-censorship by the company or was explicitly requested by the Chinese government. The companys actions and its silence received widespread backlash at home and drew attention from U.S. lawmakers. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, wrote to LinkedIn, demanding the company say which Chinese Communist Partys speech regulation it was enforcing on Americans and whether the company had handed over American users data to Beijing.

Senator Rick Scott, R-Florida, sent aletteraddressed to Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella and LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. He said the companys censorship raised the serious questions of Microsofts intentions and its commitment to standing up against Communist Chinas horrific human rights abuses and repeated attacks against democracy. He criticized the companys action as a gross appeasement and an act of submission to Communist China.

Besides censorship, LinkedIn has been embroiled in another controversy. Chinese intelligence agents have used fake profiles on LinkedIn and disguised themselves as headhunters, consultants, and scholars to collect information and recruit potential spies. In 2017, Germanys intelligence agency disclosedthat Chinese agents targeted more than 10,000 German citizens, including senior diplomats and politicians.

A year later, William Evanina, the U.S. counterintelligence chief,warnedLinkedIn about Chinas super aggressive intelligence activities on the site. In 2020, a Singapore national wasconvictedin U.S. court as an illegal agent for a foreign power. He had set up a fake consulting company and used LinkedIn to recruit Americans to spy on behalf of China.

Eventually, both the pressure from China and from home has proven too much for LinkedIn. The company finally realized that Beijing would continue to demand more censorship while abusing its intelligence-gathering on the companys platform.

To please Beijing means to abandon the companys business model as a platform for the open and free exchange of ideas and to face more backlash from the public and more scrutiny from lawmakers at home. Eventually, LinkedIn chose to fold its China operation because it couldnt straddle two different political systems with opposing values and still be successful.

LinkedIns exit from China should serve as a warning for all Western businesses and organizations. For too long, Western companies and organizations, from Nike to the NBA, have operated by this one company, two systems model. They have acted as if they are the defenders of liberal democratic values in their home countries.

But they have instead overlooked the Chinese Communist Partys human rights abuses and insisted on abiding by the CCPs speech code, all for the sake of chasing profit they dont want to be shut out of potentially lucrative Chinese markets. They have damaged their reputations while finding out Beijings appetite for control and censorship cannot be satisfied.

LinkedIns experience in China has shown that the one company, two systems model is a failure. All Western companies and organizations must realize that Beijings authoritarian model is incompatible with Western liberal democratic values.

Trying to find a middle ground will please no one. Western companies and organizations have to choose a side.

They should remind themselves that the liberal democratic values such as freedom of expression they enjoy at home have not only fattened their bottom line, they have given birth to superb products, including music, movies, products, and sports teams with universal popularity. If Western companies and organizations want to maintain their success and achieve more, they should choose freedom and democracy over kowtowing to Beijing.

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LinkedIn's Retreat From China Is A Warning To All Western Businesses - The Federalist

Shilpa Gupta at the Barbican: social injustice, censorship and poetry

In the multipart showSun at Night at Londons Barbican, Mumbai-based artist Shilpa Gupta highlights the fragility of free expression and gives a voice to those silenced

The words of Azerbaijani poet Mikayil Mushfig (1908 1938), labelled an enemy of the state by the Soviets, hover in the air. From a canopy of 100 low-hung microphones, a chorus clusters and repeats the poets statement. There is heavy breathing. Hums dissolve into whispers. Fingers click and hands furiously clap. An unpredictable rhapsody of disembodied voices darts around a dimly lit room, creating a dense fog of sounds that lingers over a field of metal spikes.

Once your senses adjust, you can edge through these spines that comprise Shilpa Guptas sound installation, For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit (2017 2018). Rising up to waist height, the spears forge a constricted path. Each pierces a leaf of paper bearing fragments of the spoken verses, written by a poet incarcerated for their beliefs. It is a panoply of resistance spanning time and place, with the words of dissident writers such as Maung Saungkha from Myanmar, arrested in 2016 for his risqu claim that he had a tattoo of the president inked on his penis, melding with those of Ayat al-Qurmezi, jailed in 2011 for supposedly defaming Bahrains royalty.

The enveloping piece is part of Guptas poignant exhibition Sun at Night at the Barbican Curve. In a year when the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to two journalists, Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia, for their courageous advocacy and practice of press freedom, and when digital censorship is alarmingly on the rise, the show is a testament to the force of words and the fragility of our commitment to free speech.

Gupta, however, finds a refreshingly subtle way of rallying for free expression while keeping those poets at the fore. She treats their words preciously. She has preserved the verses of censored poems by speaking them into a collection of ostensibly empty medicine bottles that form the piece Untitled (Spoken Poem in a Bottle).

The thresholds of expression have long preoccupied Gupta. She once built a library of stainless steel books, each a replica of a title written anonymously or pseudonymously. And on the spine she explained the reasons why, capturing a range of societys neuroses and prejudices. Guptas practice is characterised by its delicate investigation of social injustices and finding pathways to empathy. As she tells me, the objective of her work is speaking with you and not at you and not against you. It maybe has to do with a sense of hope that a conversation might mean something.

Come November 2021, Gupta will continue this dialogue with her first solo show at Londons Frith Street Gallery. There will be spillover from the Barbican show,she explains, drawing a link between the genre of isolation that has been enforced throughout the world this last year. She has created a new flap-board the kind typically associated with airport and train arrivals that flickers through letters and settles to find our connective tissue. It spells out We are closer than you ever imagined.

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Shilpa Gupta at the Barbican: social injustice, censorship and poetry - Wallpaper*

Key Takeaways:

Beijings ongoing crackdown on pretty much everything spurred by President Xi Jinpings highly publicized common prosperity campaign has brought about a new challenge for influencers hoping to maintain their online traffic as well as authorities on the lookout for those posting anything that smells of wealth-flaunting. With authorities on extra-sensitive mode, many if not most celebrities and influencers are lying low and resisting the urge to post photos of lavish outfits or handbags, yet others have sought to skirt the scrutiny of censors by shoehorning their high-end items into seemingly unassuming content.

As noted in our recent report Chinese Cultural Consumers: The Future of Luxury, Chinas influencer landscape is changing, with the formerly dominant Hollywood stars or established Chinese actors holding less sway over young consumers than livestreams by KOLs (key opinion leaders), KOCs (key opinion consumers), or even brand owners and employees. This means there are now dozens, if not hundreds, of types of influencers, all fighting for the attention of consumers and keeping online censors on their toes.

Below are just three recent examples of innovative influencers in China, whose crafty content strategies are testing the limits of the wealth-flaunting crackdown:

The Buddhist Socialite ()

Buddhist Socialites have attracted particular ire from censors, since commercial advertising using religion is illegal in China. Image: Weibo

Almost exclusively made up of young women, the appearance of the Buddhist Socialite influencer in recent months was marked by content that often showcased activities at Buddhist temples praying, eating vegetarian meals, or transcribing religious texts. All common practices, none of which are the target of Chinas content crackdown. However, where the Buddhist Socialite attracts the ire of censors is in her often prominently featured luxury apparel and accessories and elaborate makeup which they typically offer for sale via e-commerce livestreaming or other online channels.The Patient KOL ()

Patient KOLs often appear in hospital beds in full make-up. Image: Weibo

This highly niche group claims to be hospitalized for medical treatment yet manages to find the time to share recommendations for beauty and wellness products. Often, Patient KOLs tell their audience they have just undergone a procedure such as major surgery that left scars on their skin that they successfully treated with various products (which theyre happy to recommend or sell via e-commerce livestreaming, of course). One distinguishing factor about this type of influencer is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain whether he or she had a genuine illness or medical procedure.

In one case, a female Weibo user responded with lawsuit against media reports that named and shamed her as a Patient KOL, claiming that she had a thyroid procedure and did not promote any healthcare product for profit. Nevertheless, the fact that short video platform Kuaishou has reportedly removed more than 100 videos from Patient KOLs speaks to their prevalence.

The Volunteer Teacher KOL ()

Altruism or opportunism? Image: ce.cn

The latest secret influencer controversy surrounds the founder of a charity organization that organizes volunteer teachers to assist young students in remote, mountainous areas. Catapulted to internet fame by post in September that praised her as the prettiest volunteer teacher in China, who had helped over 2,000 students over ten years in 24 different schools, skepticism soon emerged. How, some asked, could the young lady volunteer for an entire decade, given she claimed to hold degrees from overseas institutions, and how was she able to maintain such an impeccable appearance on-camera without a professional photography team?

Soon, it was revealed that the individual only volunteered for short periods during her summer breaks, and that her organization charged around RMB 5,000 ($775) for volunteer trips that consisted of only seven classes in two days but offered volunteer certificates and multiple souvenirs. Some viewers were quick to saythat the trips expensive accommodation and the flashy apparel and accessories shown off by those taking part in the volunteer trips did more harm than good to the children they are supposed to help.

These new types of undercover influencers have emerged in response to the governments crackdowns on ostentatious displays of wealth. The most recent of these campaigns which do appear with some frequency launched in May, when the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued a series of policies designed to curb overt displays of extravagant lifestyles through measures such as blacklisting andcontentfiltering, which have been taken up by social platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu.

By selecting themes that appear, at first glance, to be altruistic and far removed from the usual fashion-influencer content, this new spate of KOLs hoped to stay under the radar. However, Chinese state-run media quickly caught on and condemned their behavior. One state media op-ed accusedBuddhist Socialite influencers of stoking materialism while compromising the integrity of temples, while also noting thatcommercialadvertising using religion is illegal in China. Likewise, Patient KOLs have been criticized for corrupting the sacredness of hospitals and the healthcare profession and potentially engaging in fraudulent advertising. Another Xinhua Daily op-ed criticized the phenomenon of volunteer teaching for show and called for moral condemnation and legal action against exploiting volunteering opportunities to generate traffic and profit. For their parts, short video platform Douyin and lifestyle platform Xiaoghongshu have penalized dozens of accounts and removed their objectionablecontent.With Xis common prosperity becoming a central concept in recent government action, any public displays of wealth, whether obvious or subtle, are likely to come under greater scrutiny in the run-up to next years National Congress. But its not just government censors on the lookout for this type of content. Major social platforms are also stepping up their scrutiny of sneaky KOLs, having pledged to promote core socialist values. Although the KOLs who most recently came under fire were not directly sponsored by brands, their experiences offer a cautionary tale for luxury brands engaged in influencer marketing in China: simply switching to influencers previously not associated with excessive wealth might come along with its own problems if the crackdown continues to spread and intensify.

Continued here:
Undercover Influencers Test the Patience of China's Censors - Jing Daily

A 3D reproduction of Michelangelo's David is on display at Italy's pavilion of the Dubai Expo 2020, on Oct. 1.

Kamran Jebreili/The Associated Press

One of the most talked about attractions at the worlds fair under way in Dubai is a towering statue made of marble dust thats raising eyebrows just as the original did more than 500 years ago.

At Italys pavilion, a 3D replica of Michelangelos David stands tall, his gaze intense and defiant. For most visitors, though, Davids head is all they will see as they tour the pavilion. Only VIPs with special access will be able to catch a view of the statue from head to toe while its on display for the next six months at Dubais Expo 2020.

The original David is nude and some visitors see the limited view offered as a form of censorship. Others say the way David is displayed at the Expo is a form of artistic expression.

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It is no coincidence that David is not seen from the bottom to the top, as it normally is, but it welcomes people by looking at them in the face, said David Rampello, the director of art at the Italian pavilion.

An art historian in Rome said choosing who can view the statue in full and who cannot creates a hierarchy.

What the rich, the great and the good can see and what the ordinary folk can see shouldnt be two different things, said Professor Paul Gwynne, who teaches medieval and renaissance studies at the American University of Rome.

It took a team of Italian experts 40 hours of digital scanning to create the replica, made with what organizers describe as one of the worlds largest 3D printers. Artists used filaments from recycled plastic material, then a mix of resins and marble dust to create it.

At its home in Florences Galleria dellAccademia since 1873, the original David draws gasps from onlookers to this day. Michelangelos mastery and his passion for human anatomy, from the contracted muscles of Davids abdomen to the flexing of his right thigh muscles, make the piece unforgettable for those looking up at the towering work of art.

In Dubai, those details get lost. David stands in the centre of a narrow octagonal shaft, presented from his chest up and surrounded by replicas of Roman columns. Visitors in the public area can see parts of Davids torso if they lean over a railing.

The rest of his body sits inside a clear partition on the separate floor. His genitals and buttocks find themselves between the floors, though fully visible if an onlooker stands near the partition and peers up.

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That position drew the ire of a La Repubblica reporter writing on Expos opening.

Why cant you see the whole body of the biblical hero, because you only see the head, the magnetic eyes staring at you silently? And where is the rest? an article in the daily newspaper read, at one point referring to Davids beheading.

Davids nudity has been part of a centuries-old debate about art pushing boundaries and the rules of censorship. In the 1500s, metal fig leaves covered the genitals of statues like David when the Roman Catholic Church deemed nudity as immodest and obscene.

Nudity even bumps up against mores in the modern era. Controversy erupted in 2016 when officials erected wooden panels to shield nude statues at Romes Capitoline Museums during a visit by Irans then-President Hassan Rouhani. That spurred some politicians to accuse the government of caving in to cultural submission though Rouhani himself thanked Italians as being very hospitable people when asked about the gesture.

In the wider United Arab Emirates, a few nude artworks can be seen at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, though the museum largely caters to more conservative pieces.

Expo visitor Calli Schmitz from Germany she said she didnt think the way the replica was displayed at the Expo did it much justice.

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I think it was not as exposed as it should have been, she said. I think because of the gold everywhere, people did not really realize it was the statue of David.

Italian visitor Ricardo Mantarano offered another take.

Its a different way of approaching the same sculpture and putting it in another perspective, he said.

Dinara Aksyanova, a 31-year-old visitor from Moscow, however, wasnt as forgiving.

Why was it only half? It makes no sense, she said. The most interesting part is underneath.

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Questions of censorship raised as Dubai expo shows just top of David statue replica - The Globe and Mail

VisualPolitik EN published this video item, entitled Could CHINA be exporting its CENSORSHIP to the rest of the WORLD? VisualPolitik EN below is their description.

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China is a country known for censorship, the Asian giant has managed to position itself and stand up to the West, showing that they can open up to the world and, at the same time, maintain their dictatorship.

China has more censorship than any other country, a result of their superior technology that allows them to develop a massive firewall to filter the information that the Chinese population sees. The worlds most popular social media platforms are banned in this country, because China uses its own social networks which are monitored by the government, thereby having total control of the flow of information.

These days we are hearing of cases where Western films and companies self-censor themselves in order to enter the expanding and attractive Chinese market.

But how does censorship work in China? Is censorship being exported to other countries? Do many Western companies really censor themselves in order to enter the Chinese market?

Join us in this video where we answer these questions.

And dont forget to visit our friends podcast, Reconsider Media:

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Could CHINA be exporting its CENSORSHIP to the rest of the WORLD? - VisualPolitik EN - The Global Herald - The Global Herald