According to the New York Times, Facebook is working on a new social media app that will allow members to interact with each other anonymously. If rumours can be believed, this new app has been in development for over a year and would allow users to discuss topics that they might otherwise be uncomfortable to bring up. Of course, just how anonymous the new service really is remains to be seen –the juicier the content, the more people will want to attribute those details to real people.
It might seem a little unusual to release a service of this type, but it makes sense when you think of how strictly Facebook has tried to enforce their “real names policy” (requiring members to use their legal names on the site). It seems reasonable to expect there will be some sort of interaction with the existing Facebook ecosystem, but it is difficult to guess exactly how. If not, the logical question would be what’s in it for them… with viable competitors in the anonymous app field including Whisper and Secret.
No specifics are known at this stage, other than it may be ready for prying eyes in a matter of weeks… though Facebook is keeping rather tight-lipped about the whole thing (going so far as to tell news outlet, Ars Technica, that they “do not comment on rumors or speculation”).
If you could be truly anonymous, what would you want to discuss? My bet is that a lot of secret admirers will be coming out of the woodwork for people.
Jillian Koskie is an experienced software developer, content writer, project manager and usability design expert. With over 17 years in these roles, Jillian has enjoyed applying her skill-set to assist clients and users across a wide variety of sectors including: legal, health, and financial services. Combining these professional opportunities with a love of technology, Jillian is pleased to contribute articles, opinions, and advice to numerous news outlets, websites, and publications.