Meta's MCI Tracks 200-Plus Apps, Capturing EU Messages and Raising GDPR Risks
Updated
Updated · Reuters · May 29
Meta's MCI Tracks 200-Plus Apps, Capturing EU Messages and Raising GDPR Risks
15 articles · Updated · Reuters · May 29
Meta’s MCI tool, installed on U.S. employees’ devices to train AI agents, also captures emails and chats from non-U.S. staff when they communicate with U.S. colleagues, according to internal documents.
More than 200 apps and websites are monitored, and employee analyses said the system could log code changes, clipboard contents, URLs and sleep-wake cycles; Meta disputed those conclusions but declined detailed answers on scope.
EU privacy advocates said even incidental collection of European employee data could breach GDPR, especially if work communications are repurposed for AI training and cannot be individually accessed or deleted.
The tool has also triggered internal backlash after employees said it sharply increased home internet usage, in some cases exhausting a month’s data quota within days.
The dispute adds to Meta’s broader AI overhaul under Mark Zuckerberg and could draw scrutiny from Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, Meta’s lead EU regulator.
Will Meta’s AI employee surveillance trigger a massive fine under Europe's strict new data laws?
Is Meta's new AI spying on workers to decide who among the 8,000 to lay off next week?
Meta’s $135 Billion AI Bet Sparks Employee Surveillance Backlash and GDPR Showdown
Overview
Meta's new Model Capability Initiative (MCI) tool, developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, has sparked major controversy due to its extensive monitoring of employee actions and screen contents. Designed to accelerate AI model development, the tool collects large amounts of data from staff, raising serious privacy concerns among employees and experts. Many fear Meta is becoming an 'Employee Data Extraction Factory,' as the tool's introduction has heightened worries about workplace surveillance and data misuse. Despite some assurances from Meta, the aggressive data collection and lack of opt-out options have fueled unrest and highlighted the growing tension between AI innovation and employee privacy.