Earlier this year, it was discovered that Facebook was running an app that paid users to collect data on them. This generated a lot of controversy because Facebook had used their Apple certificate, which was meant to only distribute apps internally, to distribute it to the public. This resulted in Apple temporarily revoking Facebook’s access.If you thought that was the end of it, think again because this time Facebook is back with a new app called “Study”. For the most part, the app will be similar to the company’s previous efforts which was to collect data on users, but Facebook asserts that nothing specific about the user will be collected. This includes messages, passwords, and the websites you visit. The company is simply interested in seeing how you use your device.
According to Facebook, “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.”
The app, at the moment, seems to be only available to those living in the US and India, and will only be open to those who are aged 18 and over. It will also be exclusive to Android, and not everyone can sign up. Only those who see the ads for the app will be able to take part in it. Facebook also does not mention how much they will be compensating users.
Filed in . Read more about Android, Apps, Facebook and Privacy. Source: newsroom.fb