Meta keeps employee-monitoring AI program suspended after internal access problem

Meta’s Model Capability Initiative (MCI) remains suspended after an internal access problem involving data collected from employees’ work devices. The program recorded keystrokes and mouse movements to help AI systems understand routine computer tasks, while reporting also described occasional screen captures. Meta said it had no indication that employees improperly accessed the data and paused MCI while investigating.

What was Meta’s Model Capability Initiative?

MCI was an internal Meta program designed to collect examples of how people interact with computers. Its intended use was to help AI systems handle routine actions such as selecting dropdown menus and using keyboard shortcuts.

The program collected employee keystrokes and mouse movements on work devices. Reports also described click locations and occasional screen content from work laptops. The initial rollout described in the reporting applied to employees in the United States.

Meta announced MCI to employees in April 2026. The company has not disclosed whether the collected data was ultimately used to train AI models.

Why did Meta suspend MCI?

A Meta engineer discovered that MCI-collected data could be accessed broadly inside the company, including data associated with private conversations. That access problem led Meta to pause the initiative and begin an investigation.

Meta said the program had been designed with privacy safeguards and that it had no indication employees improperly accessed the data. Broad access permissions and confirmed misuse are different issues: the first concerns who could reach the information, while Meta’s statement addressed whether employees had used it improperly.

Employee opposition and the 30-minute pause

Employees initially had no option to opt out of MCI, and more than 1,800 signed a petition demanding that the program be scrapped. In June 2026, Meta added a control allowing employees to pause tracking for up to 30 minutes while handling sensitive tasks.

That temporary control did not prevent the wider access problem from becoming the central issue. Meta subsequently suspended MCI, and the initiative remains paused rather than permanently canceled.

What happens to MCI now?

Meta has not announced a permanent cancellation of MCI. Its current status is suspension while the company investigates the internal data-access problem, and the company has not disclosed whether the collected activity reached AI-training systems.