In a planned trial, insurer Admiral wanted new motorists’ permission to look at their posts and likes to judge their safety as a driver, according to the BBC.

If the driver were considered to be a low risk, they’d be offered a discount.

But the move was blocked by Facebook at the last minute before the official launch.

Under the planned trial, Admiral was planning to offer a “first car quote” to young motorists – specifically aimed at 17 to 21-year-olds, the BBC reports.

An Admiral spokesperson, said: “Firstcarquote, which will allow first time drivers to voluntarily share some social data with insurers for a simple and discounted quote, is currently a beta product.

“Admiral does not have access to customers’ Facebook data and does not hold social media data to set prices for its customers. Following discussions with Facebook the product is launching with reduced functionality, allowing first time drivers to login using Facebook and share some information to secure a faster, simpler and discounted quote.”

A Facebook spokesperson said: “Protecting the privacy of the people on Facebook is of utmost importance to us. We have clear guidelines that prevent information being obtained from Facebook from being used to make decisions about eligibility.

“We have made sure anyone using this app is protected by our guidelines and that no Facebook user data is used to assess their eligibility. Facebook accounts will only be used for login and verification purposes.

“Our understanding is that Admiral will then ask users who sign up to answer questions which will be used to assess their eligibility.”