Facebook FB -3.95% has been grappling with the issue of “real identity” lately. Last week, it issued an apology to drag queens, after forcing some to use their legal names.
The answer, it seems, may come in the form of an app.
According to the New York Times, Facebook will soon launch a mobile app to allow users to communicate anonymously, similar to apps such as Secret and Whisper.
Creating a separate mobile app under a different name doesn’t solve one of the social network’s existential questions: Does forcing people to use their real identities online enhance the social network, or leave its users exposed?
The web is full of anonymous alternatives to Facebook. But some users seem to want anonymity within Facebook’s core product. Facebook isn’t likely to allow that. Real identity drives its advertising business, which hinges on the ability to gather accurate, personal details about users so advertisers can target them with appropriate ads.
Facebook’s track record with spinoff apps is spotty, especially when they resemble other popular apps. Facebook has twice tried to steal thunder from Snapchat, a messaging app whose messages disappear. It shut down Poke, and has seen its Slingshot app drop in popularity after an initial spike when it launched.
Facebook did better when it created a messaging app and required mobile users to use the app, rather than Facebook, to communicate directly with friends. Facebook Messenger is used by hundreds of millions of people, and Facebook plans additional features such as mobile payments, though the move remains unpopular with some users.
Facebook has had more success acquiring apps than developing them. The $1 billion it paid to acquire Instagram in 2012 is now considered a bargain. Instagram had captivated a teenage audience that views Facebook as the uncool social network of their parents’ generation. And WhatsApp has continued to grow since Facebook agreed to acquire the mobile messaging service for $19 billion in February.
A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment.
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