Computer technology company Microsoft has announced the closure of its professional microblogging website, LinkedIn, in the world's largest chain.
The US company has confirmed in a blog post that it will shut down its social networking site in China by the end of this year, according to AFP.
According to Microsoft, LinkedIn will be shut down in China and replaced by a local microblogging website, In Jobs.
Although the company has confirmed that LinkedIn will be shut down in China by the end of this year, Microsoft has not announced an end date for its shutdown.
According to AFP, LinkedIn made the decision following allegations of strict laws by the Chinese government and the theft of Chinese users' data.
However, Microsoft did not explicitly mention in its blog that it made the decision because of the Chinese government's strictures.
According to LinkedIn's official blog, the company decided to launch a local version of the website in China in 2014, which will be implemented by the end of this year.
It should also be noted that in China, instead of the usual social and micro-blogging websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and SnapChat, local websites are more popular and US companies are subject to strict restrictions.
LinkedIn is recognized as the largest professional website in the world, with people working to expand their professional network or find jobs on it.
Microsoft bought LinkedIn in June 2016 for more than 2 billion.
