Meta staff members across several U.S. offices recently launched a coordinated protest against the company’s implementation of mouse-tracking software. By distributing flyers in common areas—including break rooms and restrooms—employees are urging their colleagues to sign a petition against the surveillance tool. Many workers view the software as a form of invasive data extraction, particularly as it coincides with looming layoffs and a company-wide shift toward artificial intelligence. Concerns are growing that the data collected may be used to train AI models capable of replacing the very employees who are creating them.

In response to the backlash, Meta has maintained that the tracking technology is a necessary component for developing AI agents that can assist with daily computer tasks. According to a company spokesperson, observing real-world user behaviors like clicks and navigation is essential for model training. However, the internal tension shows no signs of cooling, as staffers increasingly invoke the National Labor Relations Act to protect their right to organize. This unrest has also reached the UK, where employees are actively pursuing unionization efforts, arguing that leadership is prioritizing speculative AI bets at the expense of job security and worker privacy.