Facebook has always put an emphasis on making people use their real names, but in the face of popular upstart apps that put an emphasis on anonymous sharing, it looks like the social network could be changing its ways. The company will apparently launch a new standalone app with a focus on anonymity in the next few weeks, according to a report from The New York Times.
The new app has allegedly been in development for most of the year, and will let you discuss sensitive topics online using multiple anonymous usernames. The project is being led by Josh Miller, who joined the company when it bought online discussion startup Branch in early 2014.
There are still some big questions left. Will the app connect directly to Facebook? Will you need a Facebook account to login? Will it connect you anonymously with your friends? Will it support pictures or just text? It's also unclear if the new app will imitate popular competitors like Whisper, Secret and Reddit, or try something else entirely.
Either way the new Facebook app should launch in the next few weeks, so hopefully we'll get an official look soon. More than anything else we're curious to see if the company can bring something new to the world of anonymous sharing apps or simply plans to piggyback on the latest hot new trend.
