Meta Platforms Inc. said Thursday that its biggest social network, Facebook, will let users keep up to five profiles. This is a big change from the “real name” rule that the company has had since the beginning.
Meta said in a statement that the change would let people “customize their experience based on their interests and relationships.” For example, people could post different kinds of content for family and friends.
The company will still insist that each Facebook user has only one account, with a main profile that uses the person’s real name. After logging in to that account, people will be able to see any other profiles they’ve made.
This change gives users a more official way to hide their identity on the biggest social network in the world. This is similar to what rivals like TikTok, Twitter, and Meta’s own photo and video app Instagram offer.
Meta said in its statement that its rules against impersonation and other ways of giving a false impression of who you are would still apply to all profiles.
A spokeswoman for Meta said that the company was testing the new method in some countries, but she wouldn’t say which ones.