Business News Tech AI Privacy group files complaints against Scale AI over alleged worker surveillance

The European digital privacy group, noyb, has launched several complaints against Scale AI across multiple nations, claiming the company improperly surveilled freelance workers engaged in AI data tasks. Investigative findings highlighted concerning tracking practices, including keystroke logging and persistent identity verification. Moreover, the use of game-like rewards has drawn prior regulatory attention. Freelancers reported challenges accessing their data, with requests often ignored by Outlier.

European digital privacy advocacy group noyb filed five complaints against Scale AI in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria on Tuesday, alleging it illegally monitored freelance workers who produce training data for AI models. The complaints target Outlier, a platform on which more than 900,000 freelancers perform various tasks that are recorded to create AI training data for clients such as Meta, OpenAI and Google. Meta owns 49% of Scale AI. Noyb is asking regulators to fine Scale AI and to examine how the platform assigns tasks.

"You don't work when you want," said Thomas Le Bonniec, who spent two years studying the platform for Paris-based research collective DiPLab. " Scale did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The complaints seen by Reuters said up to 19 trackers follow workers while they work, including recording keystrokes and mouse movements every few seconds. An investigation by DiPLab found the resulting file could be rebuilt into a video that replays a work session from start to finish. Workers must also submit ID documents and face video to identity verification firm Persona.

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