Facebook launches ‘Rooms’ app for anonymous chats

SAN FRANCISCO — A new Facebook app will allow users to chat with strangers from around the world anonymously based on their shared interests, revealed the company in a blog post today (Oct 24).

Rooms is a mobile-based app, which operates similarly to old school online chat forums like mIRC. It allows users to create a private chat board to discuss and share photos and links on particular topics, and invite others based on common interests.

Unlike regular Facebook, the app doesn’t require you to provide your real name or track your geographical location. Rather, the aim of the app is to let users “break away from the constraints of our everyday selves”, and connect to people with similar interests.

“One of the magical things about the early days of the web was connecting to people who you would never encounter otherwise in your daily life,” the company said in its blog post. “Forums, message boards and chatrooms were meeting places for people who didn’t necessarily share geographies or social connections, but had something in common.”

“One of the things our team loves most about the internet is its potential to let us be whoever we want to be. It doesn’t matter where you live, what you look like or how old you are — all of us are the same size and shape online,” they added. “That’s why in Rooms you can be ‘Wonder Woman’ — or whatever name makes you feel most comfortable and proud.”

The development of Rooms was first reported by The New York Times on Oct 7. The news outlet reported that the project is being led by Mr Josh Miller, who joined Facebook when his start-up Branch, was acquired by the tech giant for about US$15 million (S$19.1 million) in January.