Privacy group files complaints against Scale AI over alleged worker surveillance
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
Oct 27 : 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 per cent 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. "You work when the platform wants you to and there are tasks available."
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
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. The complaints said the checks were invasive, repeated without explanation, and broke EU rules on biometric data.
Outlier also uses game-like mechanisms, and bonuses are a key part of its incentive system, DiPLab found.
Outlier offered bonuses of $100 to $200 for completing 200 tasks in 24 hours, Le Bonniec said, citing interviews with workers during his investigation. Italy's data protection authority fined delivery platform Glovo in 2021 over similar gamification, he added.
Four workers asked Outlier for copies of their data between December 2025 and May 2026. None received an answer, the complaints said.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app