Meta reduces data collection scope for AI training tracking tool MCI after employee resistance

According to Beating Monitoring, Meta has started to scale back employee computer-tracking tools used for AI training. An internal memo from Meta obtained by The Information shows that, in the face of employee backlash, the company has decided to update the “Model Capability Initiative” (Model Capability Initiative, abbreviated as MCI), narrowing the scope of behavioral data collection and strengthening privacy protections.

MCI was rolled out in April this year. It primarily records employees’ mouse movements, clicks, navigation, and screen imagery on work computers to train AI to use computers in the way people do. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously said that AI models need to learn by “watching smart people do things,” and that the quality of data produced by company employees is significantly higher than that produced by traditional outsourced labeling teams.

However, employees strongly resisted the monitoring software internally, citing device lag and shortened battery life. Some employees resisted tracking by ignoring permission pop-ups or manually disabling the software in settings. Last month, employees in the office also distributed flyers and launched a petition, collecting signatures from more than 1,500 employees to protest the failure to respect employee dignity.

According to the memo, Meta has now made a series of concessions: employees can pause the tracker for 30 minutes at any time to handle personal matters; data collection has shifted from recording specific input words to recording only activity summaries; and the application channels for being exempt from tracking have been expanded to cover people who handle sensitive content, remote employees with limited bandwidth, and field workers who have difficulty charging devices. In addition, Meta said that, at present, only “a very small number of engineers” have access to the raw data.