Meta Pauses Employee-Tracking Program Following Internal Data Leak
Key takeaways
- Meta rolled out the Model Compatibility Initiative (MCI) tool in April to US employees.
- On Monday, a Meta engineer issued an internal security notice stating that databases filled with information gathered by MCI had been exposed to anyone inside the company.
- A former employee actively involved in pushing back against MCI describes the lapse as “a mess” —and one that employees had expected would occur.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Photograph: Chris Graythen/Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Meta is pausing a divisive employee tracking program after an internal security issue exposed potentially sensitive data collected through the initiative to other workers.
“We have carefully designed this program with privacy safeguards and while we have no indication at this time that any data was improperly accessed by Meta employees, we're pausing it while we investigate,” says company spokesperson Tracy Clayton.
Meta rolled out the Model Compatibility Initiative (MCI) tool in April to US employees. The tool “collects computer inputs such as mouse movements, click locations and keystrokes, as well as screen content,” according to workers who have been petitioning against it over privacy, security, and personal liberty concerns. When MCI first launched, employees couldn’t opt out, but that changed to a limited degree after workers protested.