Meta deploys employee tracking software to train AI agents on office work, sparking privacy concerns and regulatory risk questions

Meta Platforms launched its Model Capability Initiative, a computer tracking system that records employee keystrokes, mouse movements, and screen activity with no opt-out option. The data is being used to train AI agents to automate white-collar office tasks—a direct effort to build automation tools that can handle complex workflows like email, scheduling, and document work.

Unlike voluntary monitoring or anonymized datasets, this system captures continuous, granular activity from every employee workstation. The lack of opt-out means workers cannot decline participation, and there is no mention of data anonymization or retention limits in the article.

For workers at Meta and other tech companies, this signals that internal AI training may soon require personal work activity data as a condition of employment. For investors, the risk is twofold: employee morale and retention could suffer if staff feel surveilled, and regulators investigating big tech's labor practices or data use may scrutinize whether this violates privacy law or worker protections. The stock trades at US$675.03, approximately 21% below analyst consensus target of US$855.11.