April 18, 2009

LinkedIn blocks Syrian users

Per Global Voices Online, social networking site LinkedIn has recently banned users from Syria from utilizing its service. The Syrian government itself blocks use of Facebook, YouTube, and Skype within its borders, though this move apparently was made by LinkedIn itself.

According to AnasOnline (Arabic blog), a LinkedIn Customer Support representative responded to an inquiry about the change by saying "as a matter of corporate policy, we do not allow member accounts or access to our site from Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria."

Twitter users in the Middle East are buzzing about the policy change, using hashtags like #LinkedIn, #Syria, and #boycottlinkedin.

  1. Razan Ghazzawi
    AnarchistQueer (Damascus, Syria) RT @jilliancyork BOYCOTT LINKEDIN for refusing to provide services to Syrians (and other folks in sanctioned countries) #boycottlinkedin
  2. Anas Qtiesh
    anasqtiesh (Damascus, Syria) let @LinkedIn know the error of their ways: @linkedin.com">ssaha@linkedin.com (Product Manager). @linkedin.com">rhoffman@linkedin.com (founder & CEO) #boycottlinkedin
  3. Okbah Mushaweh
    Okbah (Saudi Arabia) @anasqtiesh How many guys can make this difference! these can't pose threat upon #linkedin and it will continue to provide services to 39m p
  4. Ahmed Naguib
    ahmednaguib (Cairo, Egypt) Weird things today, Linkedin blocks Syrian users, and Tinyurl blocks Saudi Arabians...what's up with that?
  5. Mohammad Badi Irshid
    MhdBadi (Amman, Jordan) @ahmednaguib This is really bad.. Facebook+wikipedia+linkedin+ 1 2 3 .. are blocked front of Syrian users
  6. Alexandra Tohme
    alexzawya (Beirut, Lebanon) you over there at linkedin.......unblock syria.


@Riyadh of Hamburg, Germany, posted an alternative for those in Syria: "Try http://salambc.com - it's Arabic & we don't ban!"

Update: LinkedIn Senior Director of Corporate Communications Kay Luo (@kluo) says the accounts were blocked by human error, and LinkedIn is working to return service to Syrian users.

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