Permission Research claims to be part of a market research community in the business of “improving the Internet.” What does that mean exactly?
They say the data they collect “helps them understand’ people’s online behaviors. Permission Research looks at what people do, how they do it, what they like, and dislike.
Nowadays, we all know this type of data is a hot commodity, but the company promises not to sell it to third parties or to hide your identity when using it. But do you ever really know what happens to your personal information after it is collected?
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How Does Permission Research Work?
On the advertiser/researcher side of things, it works by monitoring your every move on every device you use to connect to the Internet. All the time. Everywhere.
On the user side, it should work by monetarily rewarding you for sharing such an insane amount of information and giving away all of your privacy.
The thing is that for users, it just doesn’t work because there is zero indication that anyone gets paid anything, ever. You give up all your data and get zero rewards in exchange.
It makes zero sense from a user perspective.
Is Permission Research Legit?
It depends on what you consider legitimate.
Does this seem like a real company conducting actual research? One would think so, but who knows for sure? Their website looks stuck in the ’90s, so that could be a red flag for a company supposedly super connected to all Internet things.
Most people who have tried it don’t seem to think it’s an actual scam, but everyone also advises anyone thinking of joining and giving it a go, to proceed with all the caution in the world.
In my honest opinion, something seems off. I have no proof it’s a scam, but it doesn’t inspire a lot of trust either. I’d rather err on the safe side and avoid it.
How do I get paid?
Simply put: You don’t.
There is zero information about users getting paid at all for sharing such vast amounts of information, exposing your devices to viruses, drying your batteries, and using up your data plan.
You end up giving away any semblance of online privacy you have ever had, and for what? For nothing.
That tree they promise to plant, if it’s even real, you can plant yourself and be sure it’s planted. Plus, your data will be safe from those privy eyes.
Ignoring them sounds like a better plan. So then how do they get people to register and stay?
Well, for one, they do dangle a sweepstakes carrot in front of you. It’s an attractive carrot at first because they mention a monthly periodicity and a significant number: $100,000.
Don’t be fooled, however. With the number of users, they have who are also automatically entered into this raffle-like scheme. You are probably equally likely to win the lottery.
And the lottery doesn’t demand you give it access to all your private info to participate, so keep that in mind.
Company History
Permission Research comes backed by Comscore Inc., and its website also mentions that it is a member of ARF (The Research Authority) as a corporate research member.
These are the type of things that make it feel somehow legit and make us hesitant to classify it as a total scam, even when everything else feels just a tiny bit off.
On the same page of their website, they also mention the promised tree donation through Trees for Knowledge and say they value and protect their member’s information.
We can only hope it’s true because their software is continually running and stalks all your online existence.
Alternatives
Given that Permission Research doesn’t pay you for your time, these are a few survey sites that will pay you:
- Mintvine – A part of Branded Research Inc. Mintvine is popular among the paid survey site.
- Mnow – The only survey site that focuses on medical professionals, MNOW is exclusive to those who work in the medical industry and pays well for those who qualify.
- Mindspay – With an oddly high payment threshold, Mindspay does payout, but isn’t one of our top options.
Pros
- They promise to plant some trees?
- It’s free to join.
- The sign-up process is easy and quick.
- They promise not to sell your personal information.
Cons
- There is zero information about how to make money or how much you’d make.
- There are supposed to be surveys that pay cash or gift cards, but no one can confirm they exist.
- They supposedly run sweepstakes that are the only definite way to make money, yet they are virtually impossible to win if you analyze the actual odds.
- You are giving away your complete online privacy in exchange for nothing (you can plant those trees yourself).
- Their app slows down your devices.
- Their app consumes lots of data.
- Their app drains your devices’ batteries dry because it’s always running in the background, stalking you.
- The app you install and permissions you grant can be a natural gateway for viruses and other security exploits.
- Their website looks seriously outdated, which could be a giveaway red flag.
Permission Research Review Final Thoughts
As well-intentioned as they sound, and as well-backed as they say they are, after being on their outdated website, we can’t in a clear mind recommend anyone joins them.
It is just too much data collected, too many technological setbacks in the way of dead batteries, data consumption, and device slowness to put up in exchange for nothing but good intentions.
If these companies value this data so much, they should start paying for it.
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