After weeks of having to do damage control due to its controversial real name policy – which saw thousands of trans users, and drag queens, booted off the network – Facebook is now launching an app that will allow people to share stuff and connect with each other using a pseudonym.
The concept aims to rival secret posting sites like Whisper and Secret, and The New York Times reports that it’ll encourage users to discuss topics ‘which they may not be comfortable connecting to their own names’.
It’s not clear yet whether it’ll be a part of the main Facebook app or not, although earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg did announce that standalone apps would be a priority for the company.
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To be honest, it sounds like it’ll end up being like any other internet comment thread, and may encourage trolling too, since trolls rarely use their own identity to be pains in the arse.
The reaction to the news has been pretty mixed, with Tech Crunch unconvinced as to whether it will catch on, and others flat-out not trusting Facebook to keep a user’s identity truly anonymous:
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.