Representative Mike Gallagher (R., Wisc.) warned LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky that U.S.-designated Chinese military companies are using the career-networking platform as a way to recruit personnel, in a December 1 letter obtained exclusively by National Review.
While Gallagher, whose name has been floated to lead a China-focused committee expected to be formed in the next Congress, wrote that he is particularly concerned about the presence of Huawei and Chinese drone maker DJI on the website, NR has identified other Chinese-military-connected firms on LinkedIn, such as BGI Genomics, in addition to other Chinese Communist Party–linked entities such as Party-controlled media outfit CGTN.
In addition to job postings for Huawei, LinkedIn also hosts postings for the telecom firm’s research arm Futurewei, which is currently recruiting for several U.S.-based public-relations and technical roles.
In the letter to Roslansky, Gallagher noted that DJI recently sought a “manager of U.S. government relations” on LinkedIn, presumably to run its notoriously effective lobbying campaign. Lobbyists from Squire Patton Boggs and the Vogel Group were credited this year with blocking legislation to ban federal agencies’ use of drones procured from U.S. adversary countries.
He explained why it is alarming that Huawei — which U.S. prosecutors claim coordinates with China’s intelligence agency — and DJI have a presence on LinkedIn, noting that the Pentagon had added the drone maker to its list of Chinese military companies in October and that the Commerce Department and Federal Communications Commission have called the use of Huawei products a national-security threat. Both Huawei and DJI are also on Commerce’s entity list, which prohibits Americans from exporting to the firms.
The Pentagon also designated BGI Genomics as a Chinese military company in October. Although officials did not elaborate on the rationale behind that specific decision, the Shenzhen-based genomics conglomerate has reportedly worked on projects with the Chinese military, including on studies that could facilitate the production of drugs to prevent brain damage in military personnel operating at high altitudes. Current BGI job postings on LinkedIn include multiple scientific-research-related roles at the firm’s U.S. subsidiary in San Jose, as well as several roles in China, in addition to others across the world.
Other BGI subsidiaries have been implicated in the mass surveillance of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and designated by the Commerce Department for DNA collections activities linked to Beijing’s “campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, forced labor, involuntary collection of biometric data, and genetic analyses” targeting the minority group.”
Gallagher commended LinkedIn’s reputation as “a company that prides itself on an established set of culture and values,” but wrote that “the decision to elevate careers with companies I address in this letter cannot be overlooked.” He added, “I hope you will make the right [decision] here and remove job postings from nefarious actors.”
A spokesperson for LinkedIn confirmed that the company received Gallagher’s letter and has been in touch with his office.
“LinkedIn is a global company and we respect the laws and regulations that apply to us,” that person added.
Although LinkedIn for years censored politically sensitive posts made by its users in China, the website, now owned by Microsoft, withdrew its social-networking functions from the country in late 2021 after facing criticism for blocking U.S. journalists’ profiles in China over posts about the Tiananmen Square massacre. LinkedIn later launched a new China-specific app that only supports job postings.