Meta staff protest over activity tracking tool amid privacy concerns

Meta employees in the US are protesting about the new proposed mouse-tracking software on work devices that tracks their activity. The staff has been distributing flyers at multiple US offices as they protest after growing concern among staff over workplace surveillance and privacy.

According to a Reuters report, the flyers were found in areas like meeting rooms, vending machines, and even restroom spaces. It is said to encourage employees to sign an online petition against the monitoring system.

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The flyer also mentions a phrase, “Employee Data Extraction Factory,” highlighting that employees are feeling heavily monitored and that they are treated like data sources. 

The protest comes at a time when Meta plans to cut nearly 10% of its U.S. workforce, impacting around 8,000 employees. Reports suggest that many workers reportedly fear that these monitoring tools could eventually automate more tasks, increasing concerns that human roles may be replaced in the future.

Previously, Meta has openly talked about its mouse-tracking software saying that it will help the company get real-world examples to build AI agents. Reuters quoted Meta spokesperson Andy Stone, “If we're building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people actually use them — things like mouse movements, clicking buttons, and navigating dropdown menus.”

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Some Meta employees in the UK have also formed a labour union with the help of the United Tech and Allied Workers (UTAW), which is connected to the Communication Workers Union.

The organiser, Eleanor Payne, reportedly criticised Meta’s workplace changes, saying employees are facing job cuts, increased workplace monitoring and surveillance, and fears that they could be helping train AI systems that may eventually replace parts of their own jobs.