Study from Facebook is a research app that will pay you in exchange for your data

[Humza]

In brief: As part of its market research efforts, Facebook has announced a new Study for Facebook app that will compensate its participants in exchange for information about their apps' usage. Understandably, Facebook wants to make it clear about what data it will collect and analyze from users, and that it won't be selling it to third-parties or use it to target ads.

If anyone still doesn't know, Facebook is interested in how people use apps on their devices. While the terms surveillance and Facebook have often been used together in the past, stirring all sorts of controversies, the company has launched a new program called Study from Facebook that's slightly different from Facebook Research, discovered a few months ago.

This new program doesn't target teens or pay participants in gifts cards; instead, users have to be 18 and above, with a PayPal account to get paid. Study for Facebook will send out ads to people residing in US and India from where they can sign up for the program. Not everyone can sign up and using Facebook isn't a requirement either.

Facebook has partnered with Applause for this market research program. The latter is a long-time partner of the company and will be managing the registration process, participant payments and customer support.

With a program like this, especially coming from Facebook, the company realizes the privacy concerns that come with it and has addressed them on its news page.

"Study from Facebook does not collect user IDs, passwords, or any of the participant’s content, such as photos, videos, or messages. We also don’t sell information from the app to third parties or use it to target ads, and it is not added to a participant’s Facebook account if they have one."

There's no word yet on the criteria for targeting users or how much they will be paid for participating. Also, the Study app is only coming to Android for now and can be downloaded by anyone from the Play Store but only users approved by Applause can log in and use it.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/80481-study-facebook-research-app-pay-you-exchange-data.html

 

[TadMSTR]

Wonder if there is a way to game this using a spare phone and some kind of automated tool to make it appear that someone is using the device.

 

[Jaykr]

Wonder if there is a way to game this using a spare phone and some kind of automated tool to make it appear that someone is using the device.

Can someone plz invite me

 

[ckm88]

Now they want to pay us to grab all our personal info? lolz.

 

[trparky]

Not just no but HELL NO!!!

 

[wiyosaya]

As I see it, it is still surveillance and fakebook, just paid surveillance and fakebook. No thanks!

And I can just see that future headline: "Fakebook Study App Found to Collect User's Personal Data Despite Stated Policy".

 

[Lew Zealand]

So… why do they now apparently want to pay us for something they already get for free?

I'll assume that this is like the pizza shop front which exists solely to hide the illegal gambling & money laundering in the back.

 

[netman]

"If anyone still doesn't know, Facebook is interested in how people use apps on their devices. While the terms surveillance and Facebook have often been used together in the past, stirring all sorts of controversies, the company has launched a new program called Study from Facebook that's slightly different from Facebook Research, discovered a few months ago."

They are the opposite sides of the same NSA coin!

"Study from Facebook does not collect user IDs, passwords, or any of the participant’s content, such as photos, videos, or messages. We also don’t sell information from the app to third parties or use it to target ads, and it is not added to a participant’s Facebook account if they have one."

That's for sure!!!

 

[Mister_K]

Now they want to pay us to grab all our personal info? lolz.

The correct way of data collection, yes.

You're on the internet, there is no such thing as personal information so might as well get something in return. I am quite happy to have my data tapped into by "trusted sources". I get good results within Google ecosystem, Youtube and Spotify algorithms etc. Sometimes get good ads for products on Amazon/Google Shop tab etc...

It's all handy. For now, until the corporate overlords **** us over

 

[Mister_K]

So… why do they now apparently want to pay us for something they already get for free?.

To improve UI and predict better UX patterns for future products. It's basically Google Analytics.

 

[wiyosaya]

So… why do they now apparently want to pay us for something they already get for free?

I'll assume that this is like the pizza shop front which exists solely to hide the illegal gambling & money laundering in the back.

Don't forget child pornography rings, too!