Facebook secretly enters China's online market via local firmAugust 12, 2017 - 14:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Desperate to break into the Chinese market, Facebook has discreetly developed and rolled out a photo-sharing app called "Colorful Balloons". The app has no Facebook branding and was released through a local Chinese firm, Deutsche Welle reports. Facebook has been banned in China since 2009, although that doesn't appear to have stopped the tech giant from seeking out new ways to enter the world's largest online market. On Friday, August 11, The New York Times newspaper reported that Facebook had taken the unusual step of secretly developing a photo-sharing application and releasing it through a local Chinese company called Youge Internet. The app, called "Colorful Balloons," shows no signs of any affiliation with Facebook, bar the fact that it has similar features to the social network's Moments application. The app was released in China earlier this year, without any prominent company or name associated with it. "We have long said that we are interested in China, and are spending time understanding and learning more about the country in different ways," a representative for Facebook said in a statement. "Our focus right now is on helping Chinese businesses and developers expand to new markets outside China by using our ad platform." Related links: Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |