Facebook launches against Snapchat app with Masquerade – ZDNet France

According to rumors, Facebook had offered billions of dollars to the founders of Snapchat to acquire the publisher and its application. The transaction did not take place and competition is rising a notch between the two actors.

And the intensity should continue to grow due to the acquisition by the giant social networks. Wednesday, Facebook announced the acquisition of a very young startup founded only last year. Masquerade

This free mobile app is aimed at public-large and allows you to apply filters and photo effects (via video) and then share them on social networks then. Masquerade or MSQRD quickly, since its appearance, become a popular app as ranked App Annie.

Facebook has already indicated that the application developed by the publisher based in Belarus remain independent of its platform, and free. According to a spokesman for the firm, Masquerade has a “world-class imaging technology for video. “

The giant says it will continue to improve the video experience to the mobile app. And strategically, it also has the quality to compete with Snapchat frontally by offering similar effects and filters.

Snapchat boasts 100 million users daily. But through partnerships with the media, the app has gained influence. It also greatly expanded its presence in the video. Its leaders estimate that 8 billion videos are viewed daily through its application.

Since its launch in December, Masquerade was downloaded 12.6 million times according SensorTower. Its presence is strongest in Russia and the United States. Its leaders now join Facebook and its key members work in the London office of the firm.