--- title: "Meta Installing Software on Employee Computers to Track Everything They Do, Feed the Data to AI" description: "As if activity-monitoring software installed on your work computer that snitches on you if you're away from the keyboard for too long wasn't enough, Meta is taking the trend to its logical — and dystopian surveillance state-level — conclusion." date: "2026-04-21" modified: "2026-04-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/meta-track-everything-workers-type-click-train-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" - "Meta" --- # Meta Installing Software on Employee Computers to Track Everything They Do, Feed the Data to AI ![Meta will use tracking software on all of its US-based employees' computers that can track mouse movements and keystrokes to train AI models.]() *Getty / Futurism* As if activity-monitoring software installed on your work computer that snitches on you if you're away from the keyboard for too long wasn't enough, Meta is taking the trend to its logical — and dystopian surveillance state-level — conclusion. As [*Reuters* reports](), the Mark Zuckerberg-led company is installing new tracking software on all of its US-based employees' computers that tracks all of their mouse movements and keystrokes, data that will be used for training the company's AI models. The company is reportedly looking to develop AI agents that can complete work tasks autonomously, in perhaps [one of the more conspicuous]() [efforts to automate]() human workers's jobs we've come across as of late. Besides the ethical concerns of forcing employees to train their AI replacements, the news also raises thorny questions regarding data privacy. Meta, in particular, has [garnered an incredibly poor reputation]() when it comes to protecting personal data. According to an internal memo obtained by *Reuters*, the software is called "Model Capability Initiative" and will run on work-related apps and websites. It will even take occasional screenshots. The goal is to guide Meta's AI models to essentially replicate the way humans interact with computers, like using dropdown menus or making use of keyboard shortcuts. "This is where all Meta employees can help our models get better simply by doing their daily work," the memo reads, as quoted by *Reuters*. After this story was published, a Meta spokesperson insisted that managers won't be able to access the data and that it won't be used to evaluate employee performance. "If we're building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people *actually* use them — things like mouse movements, clicking buttons, and navigating dropdown menus," the company said in a statement. "To help, we’re launching an internal tool that will capture these kinds of inputs on certain applications to help us train our models. There are safeguards in place to protect sensitive content, and the data is not used for any other purpose." While tracking employees' keystrokes and mouse movement would likely be against European law, Yale University law professor Ifeoma Ajunwa told *Reuters* that "there is no limit on worker surveillance" in the US on a federal level. Beyond tracking their employees' every move, Meta is also [planning to slash ten percent]() of its workforce across the globe starting next month — only the first of several planned cuts later this year. **More on Meta:** [*Meta Workers Say They’re Seeing Disturbing Things Through Users’ Smart Glasses*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()