Negative user testing would be conducted by the social network on a random basis.

Many consumers fear that certain mobile applications severely drain the battery of their devices. The amusing thing is that a representative of Facebook has acknowledged that this is done on purpose.

Due to background activities, a lot of the installed apps on the phone deplete the battery.

They are practiced by technology companies and are referred to as “negative tests” in the industry. They aim to drain the battery of a mobile device in order to test the application’s features or speed of operation when performing specific actions.

George Hayward, a data scientist employed by the company who was ultimately let off from Meta for refusing to carry out such instruction, is in charge of this project.

The employee confirms in an interview with The New York Post that he was fired in November for refusing to take part in these tests, which he views as a lack of ethics on the part of the organization.

“When I told my superior that this might have an impact on just one individual, she responded that by hurting a few, we can help other people. This is a problem that any data scientist could comprehend “explained he.

Negative tests indicate how an application reacts to erroneous data, allowing developers to “compare the intended outcome with the incorrect result,” according to certain specialized websites like QASource.

Hayward worked in the division responsible for developing Facebook Messenger, one of the most popular platforms with more than 1.3 billion users worldwide.

Negative tests could be performed in Facebook’s case to examine how specific features function or how quickly messages load when the battery drains more quickly than anticipated.

Batteries: the ongoing Facebook litigation

This was revealed in a complaint brought by Hayward in Manhattan Federal Court, who claims that his refusal to hurt his own users is the reason why he was sacked in November.

He claims in the report he submitted to the court that he does not know how many people were impacted by these activities, but he thinks the business was involved because they sent him an internal document titled “How to run reflection negative tests”

“Draining the battery of the phones, puts people at risk especially in cases when they need to connect with others, like the police or first responders,” said Hayward’s attorney, Dan Kaiser.

The attorney observed that “most consumers don’t know that Meta and other companies can purposefully deplete your power,” adding that it is “obviously illegal and ridiculous that my phone battery can be interfered with by anyone.”

In accordance with a secrecy clause in a contract the employee had already signed, Meta persuaded Hayward to withdraw his case. But because he refuses to buckle under pressure, he made the decision to argue his case in arbitration.