Facebook launches photo- sharing app in China: NY Times

Facebook Inc, whose social media platform is not accessible in Chinese mainland, authorized a local Chinese company to launch a photo- sharing application in the country in May, the New York Times reported over the weekend, citing a person with knowledge of the company’s plans.

The app, called Colorful Balloons, is similar to Facebook’s Moments application in function and feel, but does not carry the Facebook name, the Times said on Friday.

The app was released in China by a company called Youge Internet Technology and without any indicator that Facebook is affi liated with the company, the Times reported, citing a post in Apple’s app store.

Facebook and Youge Internet Technology could not be reached for comment by the Global Times as of press time.

A consultant for Facebook in China surnamed Chen said that he had no knowledge of the matter and he declined to comment further when reached by the Global Times on Sunday.

“We have long said that we are interested in China and are spending time understanding and learning more about the country in diff erent ways,” a Facebook spokesperson said by e- mail. “Our focus right now is on helping Chinese businesses and developers expand to new markets outside China by using our ad platform.”

It was unclear if China’s various Internet regulators were aware of the app’s existence, the report said.

Some social media websites like Facebook and Twitter are not accessible in China, which has helped drive up the popularity of home- grown messaging app WeChat, owned by Tencent, and microblogging service Weibo.

Facebook CEO and co- founder Mark Zuckerberg in February all but ruled out an expansion in the world’s most populous country, saying there would be “no news at all in the near term.”

The company’s shares rose 0.41 percent to $ 168.08 on Friday.