Instagram's new Stories question feature isn't anonymous, users learn to their horror

'I just told 3 random people that they're kinda ugly,' one Instagram user said

The latest feature to be added to Instagram allows people to ask questions through Stories (REUTERS)

A new feature on Instagram that lets people ask questions about other people's Stories is getting some users in trouble, after they mistakenly believed it to be anonymous.

Instagram users have taken to social media to report their blunders, with some revealing that the presumed secrecy had emboldened them to say things they never normally would.

The Facebook-owned app launched the question-asking feature with little fanfare earlier this month, adding it to existing yes/no polls and emoji sliders.

The aim of the feature was to encourage people to interact more with each others' stories, however it has led to some unintentional instances of over sharing.

A lack of any major announcement may have helped contribute to the confusion about whether other users can see who is asking questions.

Some Instagram users said they had used the guise of apparent anonymity to tell people on the platform that they thought they were ugly.

Others said they had taken the opportunity to let people know they like them.

Instagram is yet to comment on the confusion.