Nowadays, as social networking sites are gain momentum, it makes one wonder how much of the personal information posted on these sites is kept private. Another concern is how secure the user accounts are.  These days, it is a better option to create a Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) profile under a false identity, using pseudonyms.

Products and services provided by several companies undergo updates and changes to bring them in line with customer demands. Similarly, there was a time, when Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) enforced a real name policy for all its users. At that time, it was considered an essential feature, ensuring users awareness of who they were connecting with. But, lately it has come to light that some communities prefer a false name policy instead, and such names are being offered by a number of social networking sites.

In his recent blog post, Chris Cox the product chief for Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) addressed the situation after a mishap occurred, in which communities relating to drag queens, drag kings and transgender users were affected. According to details, an individual on Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) reported that several accounts were fake. And in the process of verification these accounts ended up getting deleted.

According to the Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) privacy policy, once an account is flagged fake, it is thoroughly investigated and users are asked to submit some sort of identification, be it a gym membership, library card or a driving license; anything that could vouch for their actual identity. This approach helps Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) shut the hundreds of accounts by users who use it for bullying, trolling scams, hate speeches and other malicious activates. Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) doesn’t demand legal names, but users are encouraged to use authentic regular names that one uses on an everyday basis. Up till now, this was considered an effective approach because it offered a unique service to users, as it was often seen that malicious users hid behind fake names. This approach has worked for Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) for the past ten years. However, in light of recent troubling events, Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) is now working on an app that embraces anonymity and ensures user privacy. The idea is still in its experimental stages and allows users to use pseudonym instead of their real identities.

This strategy was revealed at Facebook (NASDAQ: FB)’s F8 developer conference. It outlined how this projected approach will give users the freedom to pursue private interests. The app gives users the privilege to anonymously log into third party application that ensures privacy.

In the past, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) made a similar attempt only to withdraw it a year later. LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD) on the other hand being an app for professionals, demands real identity, and users prefer using real names as it is a career advancement platform.  Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) also accept pseudonyms but restricts people from impersonating others.

The new highly anticipated Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) app is in developmental stages currently, but whether it is brought under use is yet to be seen.

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