Do you remember the psychological research that Facebook users were put through a few years ago? Because everybody found out that Facebook had done this, formal complaints were issued from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). Plus, people were none to happy. Due to the issues that ensued from users discovering the news of what Facebook did, Facebook released a framework for research that will cover all internal work performed on its users.
What does this new research criteria include? Here is a short list of the main points:
- research guidelines
- research review by senior researchers
- formal research training
- A public research website.
The biggest guideline that was included in the framework pertained to specific groups/populations or personal tests. If something falls into this parameter, an enhanced review process will be required and must be must be approved before any form of work can commence on it. Also, if there is any collaborative research with somebody from the academic community, this will also require further review.
The new research website will be updated regularly and feature all public academic research. For more information, see the official blog post or the new Facebook research site.
http://marketingland.com/promiscuous-newsfeed-experimentation-facebook-lays-research-guidelines-102412