Meta employees across various US offices are actively protesting the company's proposed new mouse-tracking software for work devices. Staff have been distributing flyers in common areas, including meeting rooms, vending machines, and restrooms, to raise awareness and encourage signing an online petition against the system.
The protest stems from growing concerns over workplace surveillance and privacy. Flyers reportedly describe the situation as an “Employee Data Extraction Factory,” highlighting a sentiment among staff that they are being treated as mere data sources rather than individuals.
Concerns Over Job Security and AI Training
This internal unrest comes at a sensitive time for Meta, which has announced plans to reduce its US workforce by nearly 10%, impacting approximately 8,000 employees. Many workers reportedly fear that these new monitoring tools could contribute to the automation of tasks, increasing anxieties about potential job displacement as AI systems become more sophisticated.
A Meta spokesperson, Andy Stone, has publicly addressed the software, stating that the company needs “real-world examples of how people actually use them — things like mouse movements, clicking buttons, and navigating dropdown menus” to build effective AI agents that assist with everyday computer tasks.
Broader Labor Unrest at Meta
Beyond the US, Meta employees in the UK have also taken steps to organize, forming a labor union with the support of the United Tech and Allied Workers (UTAW), an affiliate of the Communication Workers Union. Eleanor Payne, an organizer, criticized Meta's recent workplace changes, citing job cuts, increased monitoring, and the fear of inadvertently training AI systems that could ultimately take over their own responsibilities.