Facebook launches its semi-anonymous Rooms app

For a social network that’s as obsessive about verifiable information as Facebook, publishing an app that allows groups to communicate semi-anonymously seems a bit peculiar. But that’s what Facebook’s done under its Creative Labs division: Rooms for iPhone, which launched today, lets people set up spaces for discussion about… well, anything.

It’s not quite anonymous, but forums standalone app Rooms is Facebook’s first product that allows you to ditch your real name. Rooms lets you set up a mobile-only in-app discussion space about any topic, customize the look and moderation settings, set a screen name for the room, and choose who to invite to share text, photos, videos, and comments with others in the Room. It’s a bit like forums inside an Instagram-style vertical feed. Rooms doesn’t require a Facebook account or even an email address to sign up. It employs an innovative QR-code invite system where people take a photo or screenshot of a Room’s code to gain entry.