Facebook is looking to renew user trust and develop its burgeoning collection of apps with a new log-in system.
Announced Wednesday at the Facebook developers' conference in San Francisco, a new Facebook feature will allow users to log in to third-party apps anonymously, CNET reported.
Facebook is still testing the anonymous log-in function, a change that comes in response to criticism from users and privacy advocates who didn't want personal data shared, according to The New York Times.
"We need to do everything we can to put people first and give people the tools they need to sign in and trust your apps," co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during a speech at the conference, as reported by the Times.
Around 2,500 attended the event, which was the first major gathering of Facebook developers in more than two years, USA TODAY reported.
Facebook, which boasts around 1.28 billion users, is looking to expand by bringing in and developing an arsenal of powerful apps.
"We want to build, grow and monetize your apps," Zuckerberg told the audience of developers, as quoted by USA TODAY.
The anonymous log-in, which has a black button instead of the traditional blue, is being tested with select developers and likely won't be rolled out for all users for several months, CNET reported.
According to Zuckerberg, Facebook's next strategy is to become a bridge between Apple, Google and Microsoft operating systems. The goal is to develop a "cross-platform platform," he said, as quoted by CNET.
Since Facebook makes most of its profit through advertising revenue, personal information has been valuable for marketers looking to create targeted ads. The social network has come under fire for implementing changes that affect user privacy without telling people beforehand.
Federal Trade Commission regulators have been watching Facebook even more closely after the Menlo Park, Calif.-headquartered company purchased the messaging service WhatsApp in a record deal. Regulators warned Facebook in a letter not to violate the privacy of WhatsApp users, which recently passed the 500 million mark worldwide.
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