News Digest

You could soon be able to post anonymously on Facebook

Facebook is preparing to launch a standalone app that will allow users to anonymously interact with each other. The app will launch in the coming weeks and allow people to use pseudonyms so they can have discussions about topics “which they may not be comfortable connecting to their real names.” The news comes at a time when Facebook is still facing backlash over how it handled its “real name” policy. The social network came under fire after reports it was locking drag queens and transgender people out of their accounts for not identifying themselves by their legal names.

The spirit of our policy is that everyone on Facebook uses the authentic name they use in real life.

Facebook’s chief product officer, Chris Cox, in a statement

Facebook later apologised for how it handled the policy and promised to update its guidelines. Facebook has a tendency to launch copy-cat apps that seem inspired by new, “it” entrepreneurs. Secret, Whisper and Yik Yak have made anonymous-only apps and they’ve been valued at a few hundred million dollars, combined. Another Creative Labs app, Slingshot, seemed identical to popular chat application, TapTalk. Last year Facebook launched Poke, an exact replica of Snapchat.