According to The Verge, the social networking giant he company will pay select users to record snippets of audio through a new programme called "Pronunciations in its Viewpoints market research app.

If you qualify to be part of the programme, you'll be able to record the phrase "Hey Portal," followed by the first name of a friend from your friends" list.

"You'll be able to do this with the names of up to 10 friends, and you have to record each statement twice," the report said on Thursday.

The Facebook announcement comes at a time when several tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google have paused their audio transcription programmes after reports emerged that third-party contractors were listening to audio recordings.