The Secret app works as a mobile confessional. Users post their private thoughts and it's anonymous. Sometimes the use of real names can pull back the curtain and make the experience unpleasant for those called out.
Secret wants to curb the use of real names by eliminating them completely. A new system will detect when a user tries to post a message with a real name and will block it.
"We've learned that the vast majority of great secrets don't have names in them, and the few that do usually aren't productive and can even be harmful," Secret wrote in its new rules, according to Apple Insider.
"We've changed our position on the use of real names and, in addition to discouraging their use, we're actively blocking posts containing names of private individuals whenever possible."
The company's backend could always locate names in post, but now it can detect "keywords, sentiment and photos of people," according to Secret.
Secret community guidelines advise against posting threats, bullying or harassing. "We will delete content and we reserve the right to escalate to law enforcement if we perceive a real risk of harm to others," the company says.
The other change to policy includes the use of personal photos. Users can no longer use photos previously taken on their mobile devices, but must use the in-app camera to take pictures in the moment. In exchange, Secret will open access to billions of photos from Flickr.
Seeing as how many posters ask "yes or no" questions, Secret will also incorporate a new polling feature. Users can turn any "secret" into a question for their app friends to answer.
