Meta disclosed in an internal memo on June 2 that it is scaling back elements of its plan to collect employee mouse movements, keystrokes, and other computer actions for AI training, retreating partially after weeks of organized employee pushback. The memo was authored by Stephane Kasriel, a vice president in Meta’s Superintelligence Labs unit, and introduced two concrete concessions: new controls allowing employees to pause data collection for up to 30 minutes at a time, and the ability to request full exemptions from the initiative. The team also applied “several optimizations” to reduce battery drain after staff reported that the software was consuming enough bandwidth to cause noticeable spikes in home internet usage. “While we remain confident in the privacy protections we put in place at launch, which went through several layers of risk review, we have heard your concerns about personal data on work devices, battery life, and wanting more control over when capturing happens,” Kasriel wrote. Meta declined to comment.
The monitoring program launched on April 22, when Meta began loading tracking software onto U.S.-based employees’ laptops to capture mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes as training data for AI agents designed to perform knowledge work autonomously. The rollout prompted an organized internal campaign: employees circulated petitions, posted physical flyers in conference rooms and on vending machines, and compared the company to an “Employee Data Extraction Factory,” with some describing it as “training your own replacement.” While the program was not canceled, the concessions are an unusual instance of employee pushback producing a concrete result at a major AI company; broader protests against AI-driven restructuring — Meta cut over 1,000 positions in its AI division in early 2026 as part of wider tech-industry layoffs — have generally not altered company plans. Reuters also flagged that the data collection program could deepen Meta’s regulatory exposure in the EU, where tech companies face escalating legal battles over data collection practices.