Meta Adjusts Plans for Employee Data Collection

After weeks of criticism from employees, Meta has decided to scale back its strategy for gathering data on staff activities, including mouse movements and keystrokes, which were initially intended for AI training purposes. This announcement came in an internal memo on Tuesday.

Stéphane Kasriel, the vice president of Meta’s AI Model Building Superintelligence Labs, shared that new features would allow employees to pause data collection for up to 30 minutes and to request exemptions from this initiative.

Additionally, he mentioned that the development team has made “several optimizations” to address concerns about the tracking software draining battery life and using excessive internet data, which had been problematic for employees working from home.

“While we still believe in the privacy measures established at the start, we’ve heard concerns regarding personal data on work devices, battery life, and a desire for greater control over the data being captured,” Kasriel noted in the memo.

No comments were made by a Meta spokesperson regarding these changes.

Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, indicated last month that new tracking software would be implemented on U.S. employees’ computers to monitor mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes as part of the company’s aim to develop AI that can handle various work tasks independently.

This rollout occurs alongside significant restructuring within Meta, leading to considerable employee dissatisfaction. Some have even likened the situation to an “employee data extraction factory.” The company’s regulatory challenges may grow, especially in the European Union, where strict laws regarding data collection and usage are being enforced more vigorously.