New measures will enable workers to pause data collection for up to 30 minutes and to request exemptions from the program, according to the memo written by Stephane Kasriel, a vice president within Meta’s AI model development Superintelligence Labs.
Kasriel mentioned that the software team has implemented “several optimizations” to lessen the impact on computer battery life, responding to feedback that the software was using excessive data and causing spikes in home internet usage.
“While we remain confident in the privacy measures we established at the outset, which underwent multiple layers of risk assessment, we have acknowledged your concerns regarding personal data on work devices, battery life, and the desire for increased control over when data capture occurs,” Kasriel noted in the memo.
A Meta spokesperson chose not to comment.
Last month, the company revealed it was deploying new tracking software on computers used by U.S.-based employees to monitor mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes to assist in training its AI models, which is part of a wider effort to develop AI agents capable of completing work tasks independently.
This rollout coincided with a significant restructuring at Meta and sparked intense reactions from employees, who have compared the company to an “Employee Data Extraction Factory.” This situation could exacerbate Meta’s regulatory challenges in the European Union, where tech companies are facing intense legal disputes regarding their data collection and usage practices, according to Reuters.
