Facebook pays teens to install VPN that spies on them

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Mike Anderson <k8iw () hotmail com>
> Date: January 31, 2019 at 11:49:53 AM GMT+9
> To: David Farber <farber () gmail com>
> Subject: Facebook pays teens to install VPN that spies on them
>
> Hi Dave,
>  
> I think you will want to pass this story from TechCrunch along.
>  
> Mike
>  
> Desperate for data on its competitors, Facebook  has been secretly paying people to install a “Facebook Research” VPN 
> that lets the company suck in all of a user’s phone and web activity, similar to Facebook’s Onavo Protect app that 
> Apple banned in June and that was removed in August. Facebook sidesteps the App Store and rewards teenagers and 
> adults to download the Research app and give it root access to network traffic in what may be a violation of Apple 
> policy so the social network can decrypt and analyze their phone activity, a TechCrunch investigation confirms.
>  
> Facebook admitted to TechCrunch it was running the Research program to gather data on usage habits.
>  
> Since 2016, Facebook has been paying users ages 13 to 35 up to $20 per month plus referral fees to sell their privacy 
> by installing the iOS or Android “Facebook Research” app. Facebook even asked users to screenshot their Amazon order 
> history page. The program is administered through beta testing services Applause, BetaBound and uTest to cloak 
> Facebook’s involvement, and is referred to in some documentation as “Project Atlas” — a fitting name for Facebook’s 
> effort to map new trends and rivals around the globe.
>  
> Seven hours after this story was published, Facebook told TechCrunch it would shut down the iOS version of its 
> Research app in the wake of our report. But on Wednesday morning, an Apple spokesperson confirmed that Facebook 
> violated its policies, and it had blocked Facebook’s Research app on Tuesday before the social network seemingly 
> pulled it voluntarily (without mentioning it was forced to do so). You can read our full report on the development 
> here.
> …
>  
> https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/29/facebook-project-atlas/
>  
>  
> Sent from Mail for Windows 10
>  



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