Facebook has launched a new market research app called Facebook Viewpoints that allows users to obtain economic rewards in exchange for participating in surveys, functions, research and testing of new products, in order to improve the services offered the platform.

Facebook Viewpoints is aimed at the consumers of the new products and services of the platform who indicate what aspects should improve in them. “We will use these ideas to improve products such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Portal and Oculus, and to benefit the wider community,” the company said in a statement posted on its website.

The app offers economic rewards to users in exchange for participating in surveys, functions, research and testing of new products. Users accumulate points according to their participation, which will be translated into economic income that will be transferred to their PayPal account.

For example, for every thousand points accumulated they will receive 5 dollars.

To participate, the user will have to download the app and create an account in Facebook Viewpoints. You will then be invited to join the different programs in which you can participate. 

The company points out that before the user decides to enter each program, the information to be collected about it will be explained, how it will be used and how many points they will receive for completing the program.  In addition, Facebook will indicate how many points they need to receive the corresponding payment.

The first program to be launched will be the so-called ‘Wellness Survey’, with which Facebook wants to know how the use of social networks as its own platform affects the well-being of users. “The information in this survey will help us build better products that aim to limit the negative impacts of social networks and improve benefits,” they explain in the statement.

On the other hand, Facebook has emphasized the privacy of its users when using the application, following the controversy that revolved around other market research services of the company.  Such as Onavo Protect or Facebook Research, which obtained the corresponding information by accessing the data in the smartphones of the users and this had to be removed from the app stores for this reason.

Thus, from the company ensure that Facebook Viewpoints will request access to the name, email address, country of residence, year of birth and gender of the user, in addition to sometimes requesting additional information such as the location to “qualify for individual programs”.

In addition, they point out that “they will not sell your information of this ‘app’ to third parties”, and that they will not publicly share the user’s activity on Facebook Viewpoints on Facebook or on any other account that the user has linked “without their permission”, they affirm.  In addition, they indicate that the user can leave the application at any time.

Facebook Viewpoints can now be downloaded by all those users who want to participate, of legal age, on iOS and Android devices from the App Store and Play Store, respectively, and who have Facebook accounts.  It is currently only available in the United States and will be expanding to more countries in the near future.