Social network LinkedIn blocked in China

Social network LinkedIn blocked in internet crackdown in China
Networking site falls victim as government stifles online calls for a pro-democracy uprising in wake of Middle East upheaval

LinkedIn has become the latest major social network to fall victim to China's renewed crackdown on the internet, as the ruling Communist party stifles online calls for a pro-democracy uprising.
The networking site for business professionals – which has more than 1 million users in China – was blocked for the first time in the country on Thursday. Internet searches on the Chinese Twitter equivalent are also being heavily censored.
Authorities have tightened control of the internet in recent days in the wake of the political uprising sweeping the Middle East. Activists have described the situation as "one of the worst crackdowns on the mainland's activists in recent years".
Hani Durzy, a spokesman for LinkedIn, said on Friday: "We can confirm that access to LinkedIn is being blocked for some in China. This appears to be part of a broader effort in China going on right now, involving other sites as well."
LinkedIn has been allowed to grow largely unhindered in China, unlike more popular Western social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube which remain blocked.
China's tight grip on the internet is thought to involve one of the world's most sophisticated online censorship systems.
But the creator of "The Great Firewall", Dr Fang Binxing, recently admitted that it could be subverted by using technology called virtual private networks (VPNs). "So far, the GFW [Great Firewall] is lagging behind and still needs improvement," he told a Chinese newspaper.