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Meta paused employee data collection for AI after revolt, report says

Business Insider reports that Meta suspended a workplace tracking program following worker backlash and a company data exposure.

Updated Sep 11, 2026 · 10:50 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • Meta launched the Model Capability Initiative to gather internal worker data for training artificial intelligence models.[Business Insider]
  • More than 1,800 workers signed a petition against the effort, which executives initially made mandatory.[Business Insider]
  • The initiative was halted after a leak exposed private conversations across the company, and Meta stated it will become opt-in.[Business Insider]

Key facts

  • Meta created the Model Capability Initiative to collect employee data to train artificial intelligence models.[Business Insider]
  • Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth initially informed staff that there would be no opt-out option for the program.[Business Insider]
  • More than 1,800 Meta employees signed an internal petition requesting an immediate end to the tracking program.[Business Insider]
  • Meta temporarily permitted staff to opt out of tracking for up to 30 minutes in June to perform sensitive tasks.[Business Insider]
  • The tracking effort was suspended in late June after an engineer discovered that collected records, including full private conversations, were viewable company-wide.[Business Insider]
  • Meta stated that the tracking effort remains paused two months after the halt and will transition to an opt-in model.[Business Insider]

What remains uncertain

  • Meta executives presented conflicting accounts over whether the captured workplace data was useful or used to train recent AI models.[Business Insider]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.