30/01/2019
I was staggered to read today that Facebook are paying young people, some as young as 13, for access to all their phone and web activity. Their internet searches, private messages and emails were all made available to Facebook, along with details of their Amazon purchases and even their location.
Facebook paid people aged between 13 and 35 to install an app called Facebook Research on their iPhones. In return, they were paid $20 (£15) per month. The app allowed Facebook to analyse almost everything the person then did on their phone. The social media giant was able to collect large amounts of data on the usage habits on teenagers. The website TechCrunch investigated the story and have said it has been operating since 2016.
Facebook confirmed it was running the program and said it had no plans to stop doing so.
Facebook had conducted beta testing with apps called BetaBound, Applause and uTest. They ran ads on Instagram and Snapchat, targeting teenagers for a 'paid social media research study'. Facebook's name was not mentioned, until users under 18 were prompted to ask for parental permission to download the app via a form.
Parents were advised: “There are no known risks associated with the project, however you acknowledge that the inherent nature of the project involves tracking of personal information via your child’s use of apps.”
The level of information being gathered from people seems excessive and this is especially the case when children are involved. From what I understand, Facebook have done similar things before.
A previous Facebook app, Onavo Protect, was banned by Apple in 2018. Facebook acquired Onavo, a data analytics company, in 2013. The supposed aim was to help users cut down on their mobile data usage. However, it also provided Facebook with invaluable information about what apps people were using the most. This allowed Facebook to keep an eye on competitors, such as WhatsApp it purchased in 2014 for $19 billion.
Onavo Protect was banned on Apple’s App Store for violating data collection policies.
Major tech firms need to be held to account when they abuse their powerful positions in extracting the personal data of its users.
So, whilst some might think Facebook have been savvy in the methods they use to convince users to share information with them, I believe it is wholly inappropriate.
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