Aug 12, 2017

Facebook has a secret app in China

A computer screen displays the social media posting by Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook in Beijing, China, Friday, March 18, 2016. The photo of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg jogging in downtown Beijing's notorious smog has prompted a torrent of astonishment, mockery and amusement on Chinese social media. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Facebook is testing a photo-sharing app in China, called Colorful Balloons, that is similar to Facebook's Moments app, but isn't identified as linked to Facebook, the New York Times reports.

Why this matters: The release of a secret app shows, according to the Times, the "desperation — and frustration" among big tech companies to gain access to the tightly controlled Chinese internet market and its hundreds of millions of users.

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