Facebook founder spotted in China, sparks rumors
March 28, 2012
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was recently spotted at an Apple store in Shanghai, China, and the internet has been abuzz with rumors that his globally popular social networking site could soon be unblocked. The AFP reports Facebook has been blocked in China since 2009 and it will likely continue to be banned.
Much to the chagrin of Chinese bloggers, Zuckerberg was only on vacation with his girlfriend Priscilla Chan, according to The New York Times. However, the last time they visited the country in December 2010, the Facebook founder met with officials from leading Chinese internet companies Baidu, Sina and Alibaba.
Facebook was blocked along with Twitter following a series of riots and anti-government demonstrations in Xinjiang. Chinese authorities blamed these sites for the organization of the protests, the Times reports.
Zuckerberg and other higher-ups from Facebook have not denied that the Chinese market would be a great one for their site, but they have no immediate plans to attempt entering China in the near future.
Those who want to find out more about Zuckerberg's visit can find out if their friends were lucky enough to spot him by calling China with international phone cards.