Meta's AI tracking tool triggers employee backlash over privacy concerns

Meta introduced the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), a system that records U.S. employees' mouse movements, keystrokes, clicks, dropdown navigation, code changes, computer sleep‑wake cycles, clipboard URLs and the contents of any email or direct message sent to them. The data is intended to train AI agents that can perform software tasks.

Workers have described the program as an "Employee Data Extraction Factory," noting that the monitoring has caused home internet usage to spike and raised concerns that the tool reaches beyond what Meta disclosed. Legal experts say MCI may breach the EU's General Data Protection Regulation because it can capture data from EU residents when they communicate with U.S. staff.

Meta maintains that MCI is installed only on U.S. computers, that non‑U.S. employees were notified, and that safeguards are in place to comply with applicable laws. The controversy follows Meta's recent layoff of 8,000 staff, which the company linked to its AI push.