Meta will track employee clicks

Meta plans to install software on some U.S. employees’ computers that records mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes to build artificial intelligence systems that can use software the way workers do. (reuters.com) Reuters reported on April 21 that Meta described the tool as an internal system for collecting examples of how people navigate certain applications. A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch the company is launching it on “certain applications” and says the data will be used only to train models. (reuters.com) (techcrunch.com) The immediate target is “AI agents,” software built to complete multi-step tasks on a computer without a person clicking every button. Meta said those systems need real examples of people opening menus, filling forms and moving through workplace tools. (techcrunch.com) (reuters.com) That turns ordinary office work into training data. Instead of relying only on text from the internet, Meta is trying to capture the step-by-step actions behind routine digital work inside the company. (reuters.com) (techcrunch.com) Meta has been reorganizing around AI for more than a year. Its 2025 annual report says the company kept increasing spending on technical talent and infrastructure for AI, and TechCrunch reported this month that Meta released a new model, Muse Spark, as part of a broader overhaul under Meta Superintelligence Labs. (sec.gov) (techcrunch.com) The workplace questions are not only about privacy. The National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel said in a 2022 memo that intrusive electronic monitoring can violate labor law when it chills workers from acting together over pay or working conditions. (nlrb.gov 1) (nlrb.gov 2) Federal discrimination law is also part of the backdrop as companies automate more decisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says existing civil-rights laws still apply when employers use artificial intelligence or other technology in the workplace. (eeoc.gov 1) (eeoc.gov 2) Meta says it has safeguards to protect sensitive content and that the captured data is not used for other purposes. The next test is whether employees, regulators and other companies accept the idea that every click at work can double as fuel for a machine. (techcrunch.com) (reuters.com)