Like you must’ve known by now, Facebook has been running a program that pays your child (aged 13 to 35) a gift card worth as high as $20 as long as they gain almost-unlimited access to the data on their Android or Apple phones. As soon as these kids install a custom root certificate, the social media website is granted access to what sites they visit, what they discuss with their pals and what is written in their emails, to name but a few. Where is the privacy you might ask? I’m asking too.
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Pardon my description being in the present tense, but its because this invite-only program is still existing on Android. Maybe not very much on Apple, since Facebook’s new deal is very identical of their former Onavo VPN-turned-spyware app that Apple ordered Mark Zuckerberg and co to take down from the App store in 2024.
If you haven’t gotten a grasp of what I’m talking about yet, you are not to blame. Here is a quick summary to make you understand better- Facebook needs information about the personal details of what goes down on your device, and it has no qualms doing all it can to achieve this purpose. If you are genuinely concerned that a member of your family is paying bills currently by giving up such top secrets to Facebook, go through the basics of Facebook’s Research program with me:
If Facebook Got “Caught,” Did The Company Say Sorry?
Common stop that, of course, they didn’t. Why should Facebook utter the word “Sorry.” if it still feels what it did was right? At least that’s what I could understand from a statement Gizmodo received from a Facebook spokesperson:
“Key facts about this market research program are being ignored. Despite early reports, there was nothing ‘secret’ about this; it was called the Facebook Research App. It wasn’t ‘spying’ as all of the people who signed up to participate went through a clear onboarding process asking for their permission and were paid to participate. Finally, less than 5 percent of the people who chose to participate in this market research program were teens. All of them with signed parental consent forms.”
Like you can see for yourself, any iota of apology did not show up anywhere in that statement. Facebook does not intend to stop the “Facebook Research.” on Android devices, and the same should be expected on iOS too as soon as there are ways to go about it.
How Long Has This Been Happening?
For three years now.
Can I Sign Up At The Moment?
If you have given this a thought, then you should know that data of yours that should be personal can be traded for $20 a month. So if you are happy and still feel safe with handing over access to all you do to Facebook, you might as well share your password to your account on the social media since you do not care about privacy at all.
Anyway, it might seem as though the Betabound sign-up link is no longer in use, so we are not sure whether signing up for participation is still possible. If you also feel Facebook is using this to reinvent how program invitations would work, given the blastings that have come after knowledge of it, then we are most likely right. I do not expect the company to stop, the same way I do not expect some people to keep “benefiting.” from the trade by letting go of their privacy. Also, note that downloading the Apple-banned Onavo app from Google Play.
No one knows nothing about whether those that initially partook in the program would be able to keep doing it, but I am guessing yes. The sweet referral money can’t go to waste right?
Why Is Apple So Bothered About This While Google Goes To Sleep?
Several platforms with rules that differ are all I can say here. Apple has been known for sterner privacy policies than Google. When Apple informed Facebook that it should willingly take the Onavo down from the App Store in 2024, they did that alongside a statement:
“With the latest update to our guidelines, we made it explicitly clear that apps should not collect information about which other apps are installed on a user’s device for the purposes of analytics or advertising/marketing and must make it clear what user data will be collected and how it will be used.”
Google went mute about the Onavo app at the time, and the app is yet to make them offer any sort of response since then. As I discussed earlier, downloading it is a possibility as I type this.
For Facebook Research, you will not see any app with that exact name on the Google Play Store. I am not a participant of the program, but I can only assume those that participate receive links to sideload an app onto their devices when they engage in the sign-up process. And immediately they do, the application bestows a new certificate and VPN onto your device, and this is how Facebook knows everything about pretty much all you do.
How To Find Out If I Or My Kid Are Granting Facebook Access To All This Data?
On your Apple device, head to Settings > General > Profiles. Several iOS users should not have anything here except their jobs ensures the installation of a profile to access various work-related apps and services. As soon as you see a “Facebook Research” profile, if you do, delete it. You can then immediately check the VPN section of your General screen to check if anything from Facebook is installed.
On your Android device, you can also locate the Facebook Research app. If it’s on it, delete asap. Locate any weird looking VPNs installed through Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced > VPN. You can also locate any certificates you never wanted through Settings > Security & location > Advanced > Encryption & credentials > Trusted credentials > “User” tab.
Can I Still Use The Facebook App?
Yes, you can. But is that necessary though?
