META'S EMPLOYEE TRACKING TOOL FACES EU PRIVACY SCRUTINY

Meta has implemented a mouse tracking system to monitor employee activity, but the tool raises significant privacy concerns under European regulations. According to Reuters reporting, the program could capture data from EU-based workers, potentially breaching GDPR and other EU privacy frameworks. The company has reportedly built in a workaround allowing employees to pause tracking for 30 minutes when they need to "check something personal." However, this opt-out mechanism may not be sufficient to meet EU legal requirements, which typically demand explicit consent and strict data minimization practices. The monitoring tool represents a broader trend of workplace surveillance technology. Meta has not publicly commented on the specific privacy concerns or whether it plans to modify the program for EU compliance. The revelation comes amid ongoing regulatory pressure on tech companies regarding data handling practices in Europe.