Concerns are rising over Meta's employee tracking program, known as the Model Capability Initiative (MCI), which may breach EU privacy regulations. According to Reuters, the tool is designed to monitor keystrokes and mouse activity of US employees but could inadvertently capture data from non-US staff, including emails and chats.
Over 200 applications and websites are reportedly being monitored under this initiative. Employees have expressed frustration, stating that the program consumes a significant amount of their data allowances, affecting their usage limits. Meta's spokesperson, Dave Arnold, highlighted that the company informed non-US employees about the tool's deployment on their US colleagues' computers.
Despite assurances from Meta regarding compliance with legal standards, a legal expert warned that even minimal data collection from EU employees might violate the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Companies are required to justify the collection of personal data and make disclosures about it.