A few days ago, a friend forwarded on the Slashdot story about
Facebook paying individuals, ages 13-35, $20/month
to essentially spy on them. The story is all over the Internet,
apparently. I hadn't read it or any other news because I've
been too busy shovelling snow and dressing in 50 layers of clothing
to stay warm (yes, I'm from Winnipeg and the cold shouldn't
bother me, but I left Winnipeg because I wasn't tough enough).
To be clear, I don't know if this latest story about Facebook
is true, but no one should be surprised if it is.
If it is true, this Research app gives Facebook the ability to
collect, on a continuous basis, individuals' "private
messages in social media apps, chats from instant messaging apps
– including photos/videos sent to others, emails, web
searches, web browsing activity, and even ongoing location
information by tapping into the feeds of any location tracking apps
you may have installed." [According to Will Strafach,
Gaurdian Mobile
