Sarahah is a new anonymous message service that has taken the internet by storm. Photo: Sarahah

If you have been active on social media, you must have noticed people sharing pictures of different messages written on white and turquoise background.

The latest trend has been brought to us courtesy new app Sarahah, which means ?honesty? in Arabic. The anonymous messaging service, created by the Saudi Arabian developer Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq, seeks to allow people to convey their messages to others.

A type of message people are likely to receive on Sarahah. Photo: Sarahah.com

 

The app, which was made available on June 13 this year on both iOS App Store and Google Play, was created with the simple reason to allow employees to post anonymous feedback to their employers.

However, with time Tawfiq thought of expanding the concept and letting friends and acquaintances anonymously giving feedback to each other. 

The concept was an instant hit with the millennials and the app became instantly popular across the world.

How it works?

To use the app, you must first register on it. After registering, you will be given a link to share the anonymous message that they received. Interestingly, the recipient has no way of knowing who posted the message or responding to it in any way.

The app?s Snapchat integration makes is far easier to use.

Photo: Sarahah

Threat of cyber-bullying

However, the app has came under fire because of it anonymous feature as it enables cyber bulling.

As majority of teenagers are using the application, the threat has become a real one, especially among children susceptible to suicide or depression.

However, the company has taken few measures to counter bullying.

According to CNN, Tawfiq said that app has a feature that filters keywords and prevents certain messages from being sent. It's also added a tool to allow users to block accounts.

"We're taking this as a serious issue, and we're focused on [building] new features," he says. "I don't want users to stray from the goal of Sarahah."