flickr: Hamza Butt
We are all very aware that Facebook is blocked in China, and with news not too long ago about the potential banning of VPNs, it may well become completely inaccessible – bad news for those of us who like to stalk our exes, keep track of how many people we went to high school with have kids now, and see all the photos from our uncle's backpacking trip across Europe which he adamantly refers to as 'Not a midlife crisis, shut up.' However, despite all of this, it hasn't stopped Facebook looking for a potential Shanghai location.
According to The New York Times (ironically also blocked in China), the social media behemoth has been quietly looking for office space in Shanghai. The offices are said to be intended for hardware production and development, but could be the foot in the Mainland door that Zuckerberg has been looking for after Facebook succumbed to the Great Fire Wall almost a decade ago.
Despite being blocked, Facebook still has activity in China, selling advertising to Chinese companies – some of the largest ad sales in Asia – and recently launching photo-sharing app Colorful Balloons.
While obviously nothing is confirmed and we're very much still at the stage of speculation, for Facebook, opening an office in Shanghai must feel like Frodo and Sam trying to sneak into Mordor, but it should feel more like a return to the promise land.
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