Facebook discreetly launches unbranded China app

Facebook’s interest in mainland China has prompted it to create a photo-sharing application that has been released discreetly, without the social network’s brand being attached. “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 Facebook representative said. “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 that Facebook took the unusual step of creating an app called Colorful Balloons and releasing it through a local company with no hint that the social network was involved. Colorful Balloons has features similar to Facebook’s Moments application. According to The South China Morning Post, Facebook is interested in learning how apps become popular in China, without having a prominent company name associated with it.