Facebook has announced shifting its focus to reward-based market research programmes. AFP
Facebook has announced shifting its focus to reward-based market research programmes. AFP
Facebook has announced shifting its focus to reward-based market research programmes. AFP
Facebook has announced shifting its focus to reward-based market research programmes. AFP

Quicktake: why is Facebook paying users to let it spy on their smartphones


Alkesh Sharma
  • English
  • Arabic

Months after coming under fire for quietly paying users to obtain their personal data from smartphones, global social media giant Facebook has released an app doing the same thing, only transparently this time and in a way that will abide by the age restrictions and privacy policies of phone makers.

Launched on Tuesday, Study will pay subscribers -18 years and older - an undisclosed amount for monitoring their phone activities. The company's older scrutiny app Research extracted confidential information from users, 13-years and above, and violated a privacy agreement with Apple. The National takes a look at what Study is all about and how far it can go in users' phone data extraction.

Why does Facebook want to track users’ private data?

Earlier this year, Facebook said it is shifting to reward-based market research programmes, where all participants will be compensated monetarily.

Through Study, part of the company’s paid market research programme, Facebook aims to keep a tab on users’ smartphone behaviour. It will collect information about all apps installed on a phone, the amount of time spent on those apps, a participant’s country, device model and the type of telecoms network used.

The new app will access information related to its competitors that could help Facebook in making critical business decisions when it comes to new acquisitions and roll-out of new features on its platforms.

How has Facebook responded to criticism?

Facebook said it is collecting the “minimum” amount of information needed to build “better” products.

“We are offering transparency, compensating all participants, and keeping people’s information safe and secure,” said Sagee Ben-Zedeff, Facebook’s product manager, in a blog announcing the release of Study.

Facebook will not collect users’ identity information, passwords, photos, videos and messages, said Mr Ben-Zedeff, adding that “we also don’t sell information from the app [Study] to third parties or use it to target ads.”

How will Facebook run the paid programme through Study?

Facebook will run ads to encourage people to participate in the market research programme. After a qualification process controlled by the company, users will be invited to download the app. Facebook said it will notify users about what information is collected, how it is being used and all participants will have the option to opt out at any point in time. Initially, the app will be available to people in the US and India and will be gradually expanded to other countries.

Is Facebook deliberating ignoring Apple’s App Store?

Facebook said that selected participants can download the Study app from the Google’s Play Store and there is no news about its availability on the App Store. Apple has been vocal against Facebook’s practices targeting consumer and has banned two similar research apps that were paying consumers, as young as 13, for obtaining their data. It removed Facebook apps Onavo in June 2018 and Research in January this year from its App Store.

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier

ICC Academy, November 22-28

UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal

ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan 

UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Letswork%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Almheiri%2C%20Hamza%20Khan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20co-working%20spaces%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.1%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20with%20investors%20including%20500%20Global%2C%20The%20Space%2C%20DTEC%20Ventures%20and%20other%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2020%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY

Centre Court (4pm UAE/12pm GMT)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) v Heather Watson (GBR)
Rafael Nadal (ESP x4) v Karen Khachanov (RUS x30)
Andy Murray (GBR x1) v Fabio Fognini (ITA x28)

Court 1 (4pm UAE)
Steve Johnson (USA x26) v Marin Cilic (CRO x7)
Johanna Konta (GBR x6) v Maria Sakkari (GRE)
Naomi Osaka (JPN) v Venus Williams (USA x10)

Court 2 (2.30pm UAE)
Aljaz Bedene (GBR) v Gilles Muller (LUX x16)
Peng Shuai (CHN) v Simona Halep (ROM x2)
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x13) v Camila Giorgi (ITA)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x12) v Sam Querrey (USA x24)

Court 3 (2.30pm UAE)
Kei Nishikori (JPN x9) v Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x18)
Carina Witthoeft (GER) v Elina Svitolina (UKR x4)

Court 12 (2.30pm UAE)
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x8) v Ana Konjuh (CRO x27)
Kevin Anderson (RSA) v Ruben Bemelmans (BEL)

Court 18 (2.30pm UAE)
Caroline Garcia (FRA x21) v Madison Brengle (USA)
Benoit Paire (FRA) v Jerzy Janowicz (POL)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
While you're here

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams 
Penguin Randomhouse