New York, Sep 26 (IANS) A new social networking site Ello – described by some people as “anti-Facebook” – that has created quite a buzz claims to end the “real name” policy by keeping itself simple, beautiful and ad-free.

In a manifesto posted on its website, the developers claims that “your social network is owned by advertisers. Advertisers buy your data so they can show you more ads. You are the product that is bought and sold”.

“Every post you share, every friend you make and every link you follow is tracked, recorded and converted into data,” it added.

“We believe a social network can be a tool for empowerment. Not a tool to deceive, coerce and manipulate – but a place to connect, create and celebrate life,” the post read.

Ello is seeing 4,000 invitation requests per hour, according to its founder Paul Budnitz, a famous toy creator.

Ello is currently invitation-only. To join Ello, you need to know someone that is already on the network.

Alternatively, you can request an invitation by visiting the Ello Home Page.

“We believe there is a better way. We believe in audacity. We believe in beauty, simplicity and transparency. We believe that the people who make things and the people who use them should be in partnership,” he wrote in the post.

“You are not a product,” he added.

Ello was created in collaboration with design firm Berger & Fohr based in Colorado.

“You never have to pay anything, and you can keep using Ello forever, for free,” the website noted.