Noyb Files Complaints Against Scale AI Over Alleged Worker Surveillance

European digital privacy advocacy group Noyb has filed five complaints against Scale AI in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria, alleging that its freelance work platform, Outlier, illegally monitors workers who generate training data for artificial intelligence models. The complaints target Outlier, which reportedly has more than 900,000 freelancers performing tasks for clients including Meta, OpenAI and Google. Meta owns a 49% stake in Scale AI.

According to the complaints reviewed by Reuters, up to 19 tracking tools monitor workers’ activities, including recording keystrokes and mouse movements every few seconds. Research by Paris-based collective DiPLab found that the collected data could be reconstructed into videos replaying workers’ sessions. The complaints also raise concerns over identity verification procedures requiring identification documents and facial videos, alleging that repeated biometric checks violate European Union data protection rules. Scale AI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Noyb is urging regulators to fine Scale AI and investigate how Outlier allocates tasks. The investigation also highlighted gamified incentives, including reported bonuses of $100 to $200 for completing 200 tasks within 24 hours. Researcher Thomas Le Bonniec criticised the platform’s dependence on task availability and its influence over workers’ schedules. The complaints further allege that four workers who requested copies of their personal data between December 2025 and May 2026 received no response, raising additional questions about compliance with EU data access requirements.

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