Facebook Could Go Anonymous

Facebook may be feeling some backlash for its lack of privacy and anonymity, both of which users are enamored with, as evidenced by the rapid popularity of anonymous social apps such as Secret and Whisper. According to a report from Re/code, Secret and Facebook may be in talks about how they can work together. One rumor points to an offer of $100 million from Facebook to buy Secret outright. Facebook has a well-documented history of purchasing buzzy new companies — such as the $19 billion it spent on WhatsApp and the $2 billion for Oculus Rift — so this rumor may not be outside the realm of possibility. However, Re/code does say that representatives from both Facebook and Secret declined to comment. MORE: Secret vs. Whisper: Which Anonymous Sharing App is Best? Also giving credence to this rumor is the fact that the social-networking giant recently started playing with ways to log into some Facebook-owned apps anonymously, including Instagram. In an interview with Bloomberg, CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that private Facebook Group messaging was one idea that came out of recent Facebook Creative Labs hackathons. Both of these ideas would be contrary to the always-on, constantly-updating-the-world, real-names-only philosophy that Facebook has operated under since its inception. We look forward to finding out more about how Facebook may update its privacy settings, and roll out new features, at the Facebook F8 developers conference later this month.