Meta plans keystroke logging
- Meta plans software to capture employee mouse movements and keystrokes to train workplace AI models. - Reports say the program will record detailed interaction data while claiming focus on improvement and privacy controls. - The move ties into Meta’s broader infrastructure and AI spending choices, raising telemetry and privacy questions (The Hindu).
Meta is rolling out software on U.S. employees’ work computers to record keystrokes, mouse movements and clicks for training artificial intelligence systems. (reuters.com) Reuters reported on April 21 that the tool will run on selected work apps and websites and will take occasional screen snapshots for context. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the data will be used for model training, not employee performance reviews. (reuters.com) The internal project is aimed at teaching software agents how people actually use computers, including choosing items from dropdown menus and using keyboard shortcuts. Meta said those are tasks its models still struggle to complete reliably. (reuters.com) That puts the plan inside Meta’s larger push to build assistants that can carry out office-style computer work on their own, rather than only answer questions in a chat box. The company has framed the new data collection as a way to give those systems examples from everyday workplace use. (techcrunch.com) Meta is making that push while spending heavily on the computing infrastructure behind its AI products. In its January 28, 2026 earnings release, Meta said capital expenditures were $72.22 billion for full-year 2025, and Mark Zuckerberg said he was “looking forward to advancing personal superintelligence” in 2026. (atmeta.com) The new tracking also shows how AI companies are looking beyond public internet data and licensed content for training material. In this case, the source is employees’ day-to-day behavior inside company-approved software. (techcrunch.com) Meta said safeguards are in place to protect sensitive content and that the tool is limited to certain applications. The company has not publicly detailed which apps are covered, how long the logs will be stored, or whether U.S. employees can opt out. (reuters.com) The immediate next step is practical, not theoretical: Meta wants workers’ routine clicks and typing to become training data. That makes ordinary office input part of the company’s AI supply chain. (reuters.com)
