WASHINGTON, D.C. – As first reported by National Review, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to LinkedIn Chief Executive Officer, Ryan Roslansky, calling on LinkedIn to remove job postings from nefarious Chinese Communist Party controlled companies that pose a risk to American national security.
LinkedIn currently allows thousands of job postings from Chinese companies that are on US Government entity lists for the national security risks they pose, like DJI and Huawei.
In part, Rep. Gallagher wrote, “LinkedIn is a company that prides itself on an established set of culture and values, and I applaud the innovation that you deliver in helping professionals connect with opportunities. However, the decision to elevate careers with companies I address in this letter cannot be overlooked. According to the LinkedIn website, you “operate collectively under a shared set of values that are driven by our vision to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.” These values serve as the guideposts for decisions you make, and I hope you will make the right one here and remove job postings from nefarious actors on USG entity lists from your platform.”
Click HERE to view the full letter, or read the text below.
Dear Mr. Rolansky,
I write today with concern about the decision to allow companies that have been placed on various U.S. Government entity lists for the national security risks they pose, given their close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese armed forces, to create job postings on the LinkedIn platform. Chinese companies like SZ DJI Technology Co. (DJI), Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei), and their affiliates have been placed on these critical export control lists because they pose grave threats to U.S. national security and engage in activities that threaten to undermine established norms for human rights and data privacy.
On July 26, 2022, a job posting from DJI, which lists itself as based in Shenzhen on the site, was filed for a Manager of U.S. Government Relations. The post is seeking a government affairs professional who “shares our [sic DJI’s] vision of a future….” This post is in addition to 8 other active recruitments currently on your website for the company, as of today. I certainly hope that LinkedIn does not share DJI’s vision for the future.
On December 18, 2020, DJI and three other companies were added to the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) Entity List, which enforces strict export restrictions on companies, for actions that “enabled wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic collection and analysis or high-technology surveillance.” In addition, the department also said in some cases the four companies had “facilitated the export of items by China that aid repressive regimes around the world, contrary to U.S. foreign policy interests. Earlier this month, the Department of Defense added DJI to its list of Chinese Military Companies that are aiding the Chinese armed forces.
Similarly, LinkedIn hosts thousands of job postings for Huawei, a telecommunications company based in Shenzhen. BIS added Huawei and many of its non-U.S. affiliates to the Entity List1 effective May 16, 2019, on the basis of information that provided a reasonable basis to conclude that Huawei is engaged in activities that are contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests and its non-U.S. affiliates pose a significant risk of involvement in activities contrary to the national security of the United States. Just last week, the FCC banned U.S. sales and imports of new Huawei and ZTE devices owing to national security concerns.
On February 4, 2022, Federal Communications Commission Chair Jessica Rosenworcel notified Congress3 that providers have initially requested approximately $5.6 billion from the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program to cover the costs of removing, replacing, and disposing of insecure equipment and services in U.S. networks. The Supply Chain Reimbursement Program will reimburse providers of advanced communications services for costs reasonably incurred for removing, replacing, and disposing of communications equipment and services produced or provided by Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation. LinkedIn also hosts dozens of job posting for ZTE Corporation. These companies have cost the U.S. taxpayer billions of dollars due to the grave threats they pose to American national security.
LinkedIn is a company that prides itself on an established set of culture and values, and I applaud the innovation that you deliver in helping professionals connect with opportunities. However, the decision to elevate careers with companies I address in this letter cannot be overlooked. According to the LinkedIn website, you “operate collectively under a shared set of values that are driven by our vision to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.” These values serve as the guideposts for decisions you make, and I hope you will make the right one here and remove job postings from nefarious actors on USG entity lists from your platform.
