The sarahah app which lets users send one another anonymous messages, has millions of users and has been at the top of Apple's App Store for weeks in dozens of countries.
The social network is designed to let users send and receive honest feedback and learn what people think about you. Sarahah, which means "honesty or "candour" in Arabic, started life as a workplace feedback tool but was expanded after teens started using it on Snapchat.
Here's everything you need to know about the Sarahah app.
What is Sarahah for?
Sarahah was created by a developer from Saudi Arabia called ZainAlabdin Tawfiq as a way for people to share honest thoughts anonymously with their friends and contacts.
In the words of the app itself: "Sarahah helps you in discovering your strengths and areas for improvement by receiving honest feedback from your employees and your friends in a private manner."
The purpose of the app is apparently to help users at work discover their areas of strength and those in need of improvement. Outside of the office, it is meant to give friends a place to communicate honestly with one another both their strengths and areas for improvement.
Unlike traditional social networks, users cannot interact with one another directly. There is no reply mechanism, or indication of who a message is from.
Since its launch two months ago it has reached number one in Apple's App Store in 30 countries, including the UK.
How does it work?
Once downloaded, users need to set up an account on the Sarahah app to start receiving messages. They can share their profile with friends or on their other social media accounts so people can send them anonymous messages. Users can also look up people they know if they have the username in a search section of the app.
New messages appear in a feed on the app, which can be favourited, forwarded or deleted. The sender isn't alerted about any of these actions. Users can also block senders if they receive a message that is offensive or makes them uncomfortable.
Users can block senders of abusive and offensive messages on Sarahah
Sarahah doesn't let users reply to messages or find out who sent them.
Will it lead to online bullying?
Not everyone agrees with the mission of the app, and some users say it will facilitate and encouraging bullying online. Critics on social media have said the anonymity granted by Sarahah gives users "an excuse to bully people" and that it will lead to abuse.
Tawfiq has denied claims Sarahah is a tool for abuse, saying it is designed for "constructive feedback".
But the company recently added a tool that lets users block messages from senders who may have sent offensive messages. When blocking a contact, Sarahah won't reveal who sent the message but will make sure they are not able to send.
Source: Quora
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