https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/29/facebook-paying-users-to-install-app-to-collect-data-techcrunch.html

Facebook has been paying people in secret to install an app that allows the tech giant to collect data on how they use their smartphones, TechCrunch reported Tuesday evening.

Since 2016, the social networking giant has been paying teenagers and adults up to $20 a month plus referral fees to install the so-called "Facebook Research" app on their Apple or Android phones, according to TechCrunch. To mask Facebook's direct involvement, the program is said to be administered through beta testing services Applause, BetaBound and uTest and is referred to as "Project Atlas."