Facebook unveils ‘Study’ market research app, says they’ll compensate participants
Kaltbaum Capital Management CEO Gary Kaltbaum, Capitalist Pig Hedge Fund manager Jonathan Hoenig, FOX Business' Kristina Partsinevelos and FoxNews.com columnist Liz Peek discusses how Facebook is designing “emotional” robots to help users make new friends.
Facebook unveiled a new market research app on Tuesday aimed to help them gather data about participant's app usage and said it would compensate anyone who joins the study.
The social media giant’s app is called "Study from Facebook" and is available in the Google Play Store, Facebook said in a news release. The company outlined how they intend to sign up participants, saying they’ll make the opportunity available through advertisements and invite whoever clicks on them, registers and ultimately qualifies, to download Study.
“As they sign up, people will see a description of how the app works and what information they’ll be sharing with us so they can confirm they want to participate,” Facebook said. “We also notify users on the Study from Facebook website and in the Play Store description about what information we collect and how it will be used.”
“This is all accessible before participants provide any market research information to the app,” it continued.
Facebook will use the app to gather as little data as possible to fulfill their needs, it said. While noting that participants can see what information they’re sharing, Facebook said it will “collect and analyze information” such as which apps the participant has on their device, how much they use them and app activity names.
“Study from Facebook does not collect user IDs, passwords, or any of the participant’s content, such as photos, videos, or messages,” Facebook said. “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.”
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FB | NO DATA AVAILABLE | - | - | - |
Only people in the U.S. and in India can participate via the app for the time being, however, Facebook intends to expand its reach, it said. Participants must be 18 years or older and "will be able to opt out at any time," Facebook said.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX BUSINESS APP
The company previously rolled out two similar apps but both were shut down after drawing criticism for infringing on privacy, and one was cited for violating Apple's App Store terms of agreement, according to The Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.