Facebook just pulled a screeching handbrake turn, shutting down an intrusive data gathering app it vigorously defended hours earlier

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Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

• Facebook is pulling its iOS Research App following a TechCrunch report that revealed it paid people, including teenagers, to allow it to gather data about them.
• When the news first broke Facebook stood by the app, saying it had no plans to take it down. Hours later, it confirmed it is taking the app off Apple.
• Facebook did not immediately confirm whether it would also take the app off Android.

Facebook has shut down an iOS app that installed intrusive data gathering software on people's phones, just hours after vigorously defending the project.

TechCrunch reported on Tuesday that Facebook had set up an app, named Facebook Research, which paid people up to $20 a month to install a VPN which then tracked their data.

It enlisted 13 to 17 years olds to take part in the program, who had to get a parental consent agreement signed through a tick box. Facebook said less than 5% of the participants were teenagers.

Read more: Facebook got caught paying people $20 a month to let them spy on their phones

Initially, Facebook defended the programme, and a spokesman told Business Insider that it had no plans to end Facebook Research as a result of TechCrunch's report.

But around five hours after publishing, TechCrunch's Josh Constine reported that the app had been shut down on iOS.

Facebook confirmed to Business Insider that the program was shutting down on Apple, but did not immediately answer whether the same would be true for Android.

Facebook has rubbed Apple up the wrong way over intrusive apps before. It previously banned Facebook's VPN app Onavo, and the TechCrunch report suggested that much of this new app was lifted directly from Onavo's code. A Facebook spokesman stressed to Business Insider that Facebook Research was not built to replace Onavo.

Responding to Business Insider's request for comment, the spokesman said that the app was not as bad as people think. He said:

"Key facts about this market research program are being ignored. Despite early reports, there was nothing 'secret' about this; it was literally called the Facebook Research App.

"It wasn't 'spying' as all of the people who signed up to participate went through a clear onboarding process asking for their permission and were paid to participate.

"Finally, less than 5 percent of the people who chose to participate in this market research program were teens. All of them with signed parental consent forms."