Meta's MCI tool tracks US employees' computer activity for AI training
Meta deployed the Model Capability Initiative tool to track U.S. employees' detailed computer activity for AI training, but the tool reportedly collects more data than initially disclosed, including communications with non-U.S. contacts, raising potential GDPR compliance concerns.
What happened
In April 2026, Meta launched the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), a tool to track U.S. employees' computer usage including mouse movements, clicks, dropdown menu navigation, and data from over 200 apps and websites to train AI agents that perform software tasks.
According to internal documentation reviewed by Reuters, MCI captures the contents of any emails or direct messages sent to U.S. employees regardless of sender location, and tracks code changes, computer sleep and wake cycles, and URLs copied to clipboards.
Reported impact
Meta employees complained that MCI consumed excessive data, causing home internet usage to spike and in some cases depleting a month's quota within days.
A legal expert told Reuters that the tool's collection of data from EU residents may violate the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), particularly regarding purpose limitation and whether the data collection qualifies as incidental.
Index analysis
The tool tracks detailed computer interaction data from more than 200 apps and websites accessed by U.S. employees, including communications with non-U.S. colleagues.
Some employees disputed Meta's characterization of the tool, calling the company an 'Employee Data Extraction Factory' and noting that MCI is more extensive than initially disclosed.
Governance controls
Meta stated that safeguards were in place to protect sensitive information and that it 'carefully considered and mitigated potential privacy risks' in development and deployment.
Meta notified non-U.S. employees that MCI was deployed on computers of U.S. colleagues they communicate with, and Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold stated the company is 'committed to complying with applicable laws and regulations.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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