New Facebook App Encourages Anonymous Sharing

Facebook`s new mobile app, Rooms, allows people to create groups and share their interests under pseudonyms, Facebook announced.

“A room is a feed of photos, videos, and text ” not too different from the one you have on Instagram or Facebook ” with a topic determined by whoever created the room,” Facebook says.

The app does not require users to reveal their real name, own a Facebook account or an email address to sign up. It uses a QR-code invite system to grow in popularity- people take a photo of the app`s QR-code to gain access.

“In Rooms you can be “Wonder Woman” ” or whatever name makes you feel most comfortable and proud”, Josh Miller, the app developer, said in the blog post. “You can even create different identities for different contexts. In my room for technology industry discussions I am “Josh” but in another about backpacking travel I am “jm90403″ ” a homage to my hometown zip code. Sometimes I want to go with my real name and sometimes I prefer a nickname. “

Each room can also be customized to a certain level of privacy, depending whether or not the room’s post can be discovered on search.

On comparisons with the controversial app Secret, its creator says they are two “very different” products. Allegedly, Rooms does not import users` list of friends from the phone`s contacts, Facebook, or other places.