Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta scales back plan to track keystrokes, mouse movements after staff uproar

Meta announced on Tuesday it is scaling back its controversial plan to collect employee mouse movements, keystrokes, and other actions for AI training data, following weeks of staff opposition. The company introduced new controls allowing employees to pause data collection for up to 30 minutes at a time and request exemptions from the initiative. The memo, authored by Stephane Kasriel, vice president of Meta’s AI model-building Superintelligence Labs unit, also noted optimizations to reduce battery drain after employees reported excessive data usage. The decision comes after Meta faced widespread backlash from employees, who criticized the initiative as an 'Employee Data Extraction Factory.' The company had initially announced the tracking software last month as part of efforts to build AI agents capable of performing tasks autonomously. The move occurred amid Meta’s broader restructuring under CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Meta’s spokesperson declined to comment on the matter. The company had previously stated that privacy protections were in place, including multiple risk reviews, but acknowledged concerns about personal data on work devices and battery life. The initiative could also heighten regulatory challenges for Meta in the European Union, where data collection practices are under intense legal scrutiny. The internal memo highlighted that while Meta remains confident in its privacy measures, it is responding to employee feedback by offering more control over data collection. The changes include allowing staff to temporarily disable the tracking feature and request permanent exemptions, signaling a partial retreat from the original plan.