Research

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Improving understanding of users’ privacy attitudes, concerns, preferences, needs, behaviors, and outcomes

• Rigorous development of new scales to more precisely and inclusively measure user self-reported privacy constructs that…
  
  • Examine specific aspects of users’ privacy attitudes, concerns, and preferences (i.e., beyond high-level privacy-related sentiment)
  • Are psychometrically sound, reliable, and valid, as well as sensitive enough to detect small changes
  • Are validated using representative samples so that the resulting scales are globally relevant and/or globally adaptable
  • Consider different contexts, including but not limited to civil, political, health, and social well-being
• Broadening or enhancing the knowledge between self-reported attitudes and related observed/actual behaviors
• Broadening and deepening the understanding of privacy phenomena that might exist between and within countries or sub-cultures aimed at more inclusive privacy policy adoption and product design

2. Novel interventions for digital transparency and control that are meaningful for diverse populations, context, and data types

• Seeking interventions aimed at plausible incremental improvements (e.g., increasing knowledge, feelings of efficacy, safety, and so on) for people across current digital platforms (above and beyond what regulation or local laws — like GDPR, for example — outline as required). Research should aim to practically answer one or more of the following questions:
  
  • What forms of transparency (e.g., in-the-moment, text and non-text, and so on) and for which specific types of information can improve digital experiences for people?
  • How specifically should transparency be delivered and evaluated for users of varying degrees of digital skill and/or across different cultural contexts? What does meaningful digital privacy education look like for users with varying degrees of digital skill?
  • How can meaningful privacy education be delivered, managed, and evaluated at scale?
  • How should increased controls be balanced with sensible defaults, accounting for varying degrees of digital skill, need, and motivation to use privacy controls?

Proposals should include

• A summary of the project (1–2 pages), in English, explaining the area of focus, a description of techniques, any relevant prior work, and a timeline with milestones and expected outcomes
• A draft budget description (one page) including an approximate cost of the award and explanation of how funds would be spent
• Curriculum Vitae for all project participants
• Organization details. This will include tax information and administrative contact details

Eligibility

• Awards must comply with applicable U.S. and international laws, regulations and policies.
• Applicants must be current full-time faculty at an accredited academic institution that awards research degrees to PhD students.
• Applicants must be the Principal Investigator on any resulting award.
• Facebook cannot consider proposals submitted, prepared, or to be carried out by individuals residing in, or affiliated with, an academic institution located in a country or territory subject to comprehensive U.S. trade sanctions.
• Government officials (excluding faculty and staff of public universities, to the extent they may be considered government officials), political figures, and politically affiliated businesses (all as determined by Facebook in its sole discretion) are not eligible.

Facebook’s decisions will be final in all matters relating to Facebook RFP solicitations, including whether or not to grant an award and the interpretation of Facebook RFP Terms and Conditions. By submitting a proposal, applicants affirm that they have read and agree to these Terms and Conditions.

• Facebook is authorized to evaluate proposals submitted under its RFPs, to consult with outside experts, as needed, in evaluating proposals, and to grant or deny awards using criteria determined by Facebook to be appropriate and at Facebook’s sole discretion. Facebook’s decisions will be final in all matters relating to its RFPs, and applicants agree not to challenge any such decisions.
• Facebook will not be required to treat any part of a proposal as confidential or protected by copyright, and may use, edit, modify, copy, reproduce and distribute all or a portion of the proposal in any manner for the sole purposes of administering the Facebook RFP website and evaluating the contents of the proposal.
• Personal data submitted with a proposal, including name, mailing address, phone number, and email address of the applicant and other named researchers in the proposal may be collected, processed, stored and otherwise used by Facebook for the purposes of administering Facebook’s RFP website, evaluating the contents of the proposal, and as otherwise provided under Facebook’s Privacy Policy.
• Neither Facebook nor the applicant is obligated to enter into a business transaction as a result of the proposal submission. Facebook is under no obligation to review or consider the proposal.
• Feedback provided in a proposal regarding Facebook products or services will not be treated as confidential or protected by copyright, and Facebook is free to use such feedback on an unrestricted basis with no compensation to the applicant. The submission of a proposal will not result in the transfer of ownership of any IP rights.
• Applicants represent and warrant that they have authority to submit a proposal in connection with a Facebook RFP and to grant the rights set forth herein on behalf of their organization. All awards provided by Facebook in connection with this RFP shall be used only in accordance with applicable laws and shall not be used in any way, directly or indirectly, to facilitate any act that would constitute bribery or an illegal kickback, an illegal campaign contribution, or would otherwise violate any applicable anti-corruption or political activities law.
• Awards granted in connection with RFP proposals will be subject to terms and conditions contained in the unrestricted gift agreement (or, in some cases, other mechanisms) pursuant to which the award funding will be provided. Applicants understand and acknowledge that they will need to agree to these terms and conditions to receive an award.