Facebook’s next conquest may be China. There are rumors that the social network is considering launching its site in the authoritarian state. There’s no easy way to do this, and since there’s no perfect time to develop an open-communication social network in China, sources say Facebook is diving in head first.
Logistically, if the launch is successful, Facebook users looking to connect with users in China will have click through a warning stating that any material visible to Chinese users may also be seen by the Chinese government.
AllThingsD reports that Facebook has been in talks with Baidu, coined the ‘Google of China’, to be a partner for this venture. Though tops execs from both companies have met on several occasions, Facebook hasn’t openly confirmed the idea of a partnership or a launch in China. Though Mark Zuckerberg admitted in an interview last year that China is one of four target countries, along with Korea, Japan, and Russia, that his company was not yet “winning” at. “How can you connect the whole world if you leave out 1.6 billion people?” Zuckerberg says.
Read more from AllThingsD.
