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Meta employees are expressing outrage over a newly introduced internal tool designed to monitor their clicks and keystrokes. This development marks the latest controversy as the company intensifies its focus on artificial intelligence.
According to internal communications accessed by Business Insider, staff members reacted with concern upon discovering that the software would track mouse movements, typing activity, and on-screen behavior to aid in training Meta’s AI systems.
One employee voiced their discomfort by asking, “This makes me super uncomfortable. How do we opt out?”—a comment that quickly garnered significant attention, becoming the most popular response. The discussion thread was soon filled with similar sentiments, including numerous “angry face” emojis.
This reaction was prompted by the rollout of a new internal program, as initially reported by Reuters, which disclosed Meta’s plans to enhance its AI systems by analyzing the keystrokes and mouse movements of its employees.
Company executives informed staff that opting out would not be possible on devices issued by Meta. However, they assured that the program is equipped with safeguards and is restricted to work-related applications.
The backlash comes as Meta ramps up a sweeping — and costly — overhaul of its AI strategy, pouring billions into infrastructure, talent and new products in a bid to catch up with rivals like OpenAI and Google.
Meta is also reported to be on the verge of slashing its workforce, with the company planning to cut about 10% of its global staff — or roughly 8,000 workers — starting May 20 and potentially more later this year as it pivots toward AI-driven roles.
The layoffs are part of a broader effort to reshape the company around artificial intelligence, with executives pushing to automate tasks previously handled by human workers, according to Reuters.
“There are safeguards in place to protect sensitive content, and the data is not used for any other purpose,” a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider.
The tracking tool — known internally as the Model Capability Initiative — captures employees’ mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes while they work, and can also take periodic snapshots of what’s on their screens, according to internal memos cited by Reuters.
The software runs only on work-related applications and websites, with the goal of collecting real-world data on how people actually use computers.
Meta says the data will be used to train AI systems to better mimic everyday human behavior — such as navigating menus, using keyboard shortcuts and completing routine digital tasks — areas where current models still struggle.
The company has said the information won’t be used for employee performance reviews and that safeguards are in place to protect sensitive content, though the initiative is part of a broader push to build AI agents capable of handling work tasks autonomously.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that Meta staffers will have the option of chatting with a virtual AI-powered clone of CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The Post has sought comment from Meta.