Facebook has been trying to make real identity the standard on the Internet, but now, with the new rooms application, the company is returning to the good-old days of the web filled with anonymous chat and sharing. With Rooms, Facenbook wants to recreate the experience of the chatrooms and message boards. The app will let people create and join groups to share interests, Facebook said.

"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," writes Josh Miller, the leader of the team that created Rooms within Facebook’s Creative Labs incubator unit. "Forums, message boards and chatrooms were meeting places for people who didn’t necessarily share geographies or social connections, but had something in common. Today, as we spend more time on our phones, primarily to communicate with friends and family, the role of the internet as a "third place" has begun to fade."

Rooms is designed for mobile, with a scrolling feed as the interface. it is not connected to one’s Facebook account or other social profiles. A user creates a Room by sharing a QR code with invitees, and moderators retain control of the discussion.

"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. This can be liberating, but only if we have places that let us break away from the constraints of our everyday selves. We want the rooms you create to be freeing in this way. From unique obsessions and unconventional hobbies, to personal finance and health-related issues – you can celebrate the sides of yourself that you don’t always show to your friends,"

Rooms would let Facebook participate in a growing market for anonymous applications. Secret Inc. and Whisper Inc., which allow for posting photo-based anonymous thoughts to the public, have drawn millions in investment over the past year.