Facebook will compensate users in the United States to deactivate their Facebook and Instagram accounts ahead of the US elections.

Washington Post reporter Elizabeth Dwoskin, on Thursday, posted screenshots of a notification sent out by the social-media major. The notification is a survey that asks users about the compensation that they would require to deactivate their accounts.

For instance, Instagram users have received a notification that read: “We’d like to know how much you’d need to be paid in exchange for deactivating your Instagram account,” according to the screenshots shared by Dwoskin.

For people who choose to deactivate their accounts, it would be deactivated late September for one week or six weeks.

This is part of a new research study being conducted by Facebook “to better understand the impact of Facebook and Instagram on key political attitudes and behaviours during the US 2020 elections”, announced earlier this week.

Facebook, in a blog post, had said that: “For people who have explicitly opted into the study, we plan to combine multiple research methods, including surveys and behavioral data analysis, along with targeted changes to some participants’ experiences with Facebook and Instagram.”

“Participants may be asked to stop using Facebook or Instagram for a period of time,” it had said.

Liz Bourgeous, a Facebook spokesperson, confirmed that people who actively opt-in for the study will be compensated.

“Anyone who chooses to opt in – whether it’s completing surveys or deactivating FB or IG for a period of time – will be compensated. This is fairly standard for this type of academic research,” Bourgeous tweeted.

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