Facebook is following in on the footsteps of Google. The social media giant has launched a new market research app called 'Study From Facebook' which is on similar lines as 'Google Opinion Rewards' app. The Study app is available on the Play Store and asks paid participants to share information with Facebook in order to gain insights and amass data on competition. The app lets Facebook monitor smartphone owners' app usage and other related activities.
'Study From Facebook' is a rebranded version of Facebook Research app called 'Project Atlas'. Earlier, Apple had banned the app for violating its rules. The app relied on certificates that allowed bypassing App Store and getting deeper access to the Apple devices. The Study app, for now, is available only on the Android platform - as iOS doesn't allow third-party apps to acquire user information. Facebook plans to use the survey data to develop future services and features across the products. The app is currently available only in India and the US.
The Study app is targeted at people who are 18 and above, and it will be verified by referencing user's age on Facebook. The Android phones, unlike like the Apple devices, will also easily permit the app to gain deeper access. The users will also be required to have a PayPal account to get paid. Facebook hasn't revealed the amount it will pay people to use the app, but a blog post states that "all research participants are compensated."
Facebook has maintained that it does not share the data it collects with the advertisers, but the company's reputation on privacy has always been less than stellar. Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook's employees have recovered emails that linked Mark Zuckerberg to potentially harmful privacy practices.
Edited By: Udit Verma
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