DiPLab report: Scale AI's Outlier runs 16 trackers harvesting biometric data from EU workers

AntonioCasilli · x · 2026-10-15

DiPLab's new report "Surveillance at Scale" documents how AI training data platforms surveil European data workers. Key findings:

16 trackers: Through network logs, interviews, and internal guidelines, the team found Outlier (operated by Scale AI) embeds 16 third-party trackers—including FullStory, Segment, PostHog, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook—collecting personal data; the platform also gathers financial records, biometric information, and facial recognition scans, used for surveillance and likely further AI training.
Workforce profile: surveyed EU workers are mostly 20-29 and highly educated, with median monthly income around €1,000 versus €2,175 needed for a comfortable living—leading the report to call Outlier as exploitative as data sweatshops in the Global South.
Legal analysis: the report argues the collection likely violates GDPR. Funded by the Digital Freedom Fund and the European AI & Society Fund.

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