Amazon wants to give you $2 a month to spy on your phone usage

How much do you think your user data is worth? Amazon appears to think it’s worth about $2 per month based on a new initiative that would coax users into allowing the company to spy on their phone habits.

As reported by Insider, Amazon has started offering members of its Amazon Shopper Panel $2 a month if they agree to participate in the company’s ad verification program. The scheme is an invite-only reward program for the US and UK that users can opt into if they would like.

Amazon mentions on its FAQ page that when panelists enable ad verification, Amazon is able to see what ads from Amazon they looked at on their device. The ads in question include both Amazon’s own ads and third-party ads that advertise through Amazon Ads. As for how it works, the company states:

The Amazon Shopper Panel app will collect and use information about where and when you see ads from Amazon, for example the app or website where you viewed the ad and the time of day you viewed it.

Amazon says that the aim of the program is to offer more personalized ad experiences. Sound familiar? You’ve probably heard something like this before from the likes of Facebook and all the other companies that love nothing more than to collect user data.

If, for whatever reason, you want to join the program, you won’t be able to get in right away without an invite. However, you can get added to a waitlist that would potentially allow you in later. And Amazon says panelists can opt out at anytime and delete their personal information associated with ad verification.

This is hardly the only time a company has offered an incentive such as this. Both Facebook and Google have previously attempted to offer money to convince users to allow them to track their activity.