● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 negative
Noyb sues Scale AI over alleged 'invasive' worker surveillance and biometric data collection
Key points
- Noyb filed five complaints against Scale AI in France, Italy, Netherlands, and Austria.
- Complaints allege illegal tracking of freelance workers' web activity.
- Scale AI is accused of requiring biometric data for employment.
- Outlier platform, used by Google, Meta, and OpenAI, is central to the complaints.
Complaints Filed Against Scale AI
The Austria-based digital privacy advocacy group noyb has filed five complaints against Scale AI in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Austria. These complaints allege that Scale AI's practices violate European law regarding worker surveillance and data collection. Scale AI is a major artificial intelligence company that provides data for AI model training.
Allegations of Invasive Surveillance
Noyb's complaints focus on Scale AI's Outlier platform, which is used by tech giants like Google, Meta, and OpenAI. The nonprofit alleges that Outlier records freelancers' mouse clicks and keystrokes every few seconds, and can generate video documenting their entire workday. Data collected by trackers reportedly includes IP addresses, contact details, unique identifiers, and information about visited pages, which noyb claims can be used for targeted advertising. An analysis identified 18 third-party trackers used by Scale to monitor French freelancers' data.
Mandatory Biometric Data Collection
Another key component of the complaints concerns the alleged requirement for workers to submit biometric data as a condition of employment. Noyb states that freelancers must provide face video and identification documents to identity verifier Persona. Four freelancers have reportedly requested copies of all personal data collected from the tracking system.
Noyb's History of Data Privacy Suits
Noyb has a history of successful data privacy litigation against major tech companies. The group won a case against TikTok in May 2025, resulting in a €530 million fine for transferring European customer data to China. In late 2023, Meta was fined €1.2 billion and ordered to cease transferring European user data to the U.S. following a noyb complaint.
Requested Actions
Noyb is asking courts in the four countries to issue fines against Scale AI. Additionally, the nonprofit seeks government investigations into Scale AI's practices and a study of how tasks are allocated by the company.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
European digital rights group noyb filed five complaints against Scale AI in four European countries, alleging the company's Outlier platform violates European law by tracking freelance workers' web activity and requiring biometric data. The complaints claim Scale AI records mouse clicks, keystrokes, and other web activity, and mandates face video and identification documents for employment.