OPINION: A Sensible Middle Ground on Data Privacy

Internet users are right to be concerned about the massive amounts of information big tech companies collect, but regulatory solutions should be narrowly tailored.

On June 11, Facebook released a new application for android users with the stated purpose of studying individual phone habits, specific app usage, and time spent using those apps. In exchange for downloading the app, users will be paid for their participation in the study, and Facebook has promised not to sell their data to third parties.

This is Facebook’s second attempt at studying users’ phone...