Meta backs off tracking workers' keystrokes after they revolt

Meta has scaled back its employee keystroke and mouse-click tracking program after worker backlash, now allowing staff to pause data collection for up to 30 minutes or request full exemptions. The retreat follows a petition with over 1,500 signatures opposing the tool, which was originally announced in April to train AI models on real user behavior.

Meta has backed off a little. After announcing in April that a tool called the Model Capability Initiative would log employees' keystrokes and mouse clicks https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93x0k194yno to train its AI models, the company has now told staff they can pause the data collection for "up to 30 minutes at a time" or request an exemption altogether, according to an internal memo seen by the BBC. The retreat follows weeks of pushback, including a worker petition that has gathered more than 1,500 signatures. Meta's original pitch was that "if we're building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people actually use them," and that the data was "not used for any other purpose." One employee told the BBC the whole thing felt "very dystopian," especially with another round of layoffs expected. Previously: