Facebook wants to pay users in exchange for tracking their data. The company released a new, invite-only app called Study as part of its Facebook Study Program to consensually collect information on users’ phone habits.
Study will only be available to Android users and will track everything from the amount of time users spend in apps, to their locations and which apps they are using. Facebook will not have access to user messages, photos, IDs and passwords.
The company said it wants to collect data to “helps us learn which apps people value and how they’re used,” and to figure out how to improve its products. Facebook also ensures that it will not sell the information to third-parties.
Users will have to verify their age and PayPal accounts to be a part of the study. The company is using PayPal as its payment method, which is why it is asking for those accounts to be verified.
The program comes after another notable scandal that landed Facebook in hot water. Earlier this year, Facebook was found to have collected data through its previous user-tracking app, Facebook Research, that was highly marketed to teens and maneuvered through loopholes in Apple’s App Store.
Facebook is looking to avoid its mistakes by focusing on Android users and individuals over 18.
The company has not specified how much participants will get paid.
