Facebook discretely fields China photo-sharing app

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Facebook’s interest in china has led it to discretely create a photo-sharing application launched there without the social network’s brand being attached.


 
Photo by William Iven on Unsplash


A Facebook representative said on Friday in an email response to an AFP inquiry, “We have long that we are interested in China, and are spending time understanding and learning more about the country in different ways”.

“Our focus right now is on helping Chinese businesses and developers expand to new markets outside China by using our ad platform”.
A source close to the matter confirmed a New York Times report on Friday that Facebook took the unusual step of creating an app called Colorful Balloons and lauched it through a local company with no hint that the social network was involved.
Colorful Ballons has features similar to Facebook’s Moments application.
Facebook has been anxious to find a way into mainland China, where the social network has been banned since 2009.
Facebook, Google, Youtube, and Instagram are among Silicon Valley stars not allowed to operate on China’s tightly controlled internet.
Facebook chief co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has made high-profile visits to China and met with political leaders there, and is even studying Mandarin.
According to New York Times, Colourful Balloons was launched early this year through a separate Chinese company. 
Facebook is interested in learning how apps win fans in China, without having a prominent company name associated with it. This could help explain the quiet approach.

 
Having a company in China distribute the application can be more efficient due to local business connections and familiarity with local rules

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