This week, Facebook announced that it would be taking another shot at collecting user data after a failed attempt in January that led to a ban from Apple.
The short version is this: Facebook paid people to install a research app on their phones so the company could collect data on their user activity. This app violated Apple’s rules, because it provided people with technology outside of the App Store. Facebook’s enterprise developer certificate was taken away as a result. Google also got the boot for its data-collecting apps.
Now, we’re finally getting a window into how many people’s data was collected before Apple caught wind of what the social media giant was doing. According to Techcrunch, Facebook collected data on about 187,000 users in total. 31,000 users were from the U.S. and of that number 4,300 were teenagers, something Facebook caught major backlash about earlier this year.
Now that it is back with a new research app, Facebook is hoping to learn from its mistakes with Apple. The new app requires the user to be over 18, has a verification process and is only available on Android.
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.
