Privacy organisation noyb filed five GDPR complaints against Scale AI on 27 October with authorities in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria. The complaints concern the Outlier platform, through which freelancers evaluate and improve AI systems. noyb argues that workers are subjected to extensive tracking by third-party tools and repeated biometric identity checks through Persona, and that data access requests were ignored. Scale AI responds that its practices are disclosed, based on consent and serve fraud prevention.

What it means: The complaints shed light on a less visible part of the AI industry: the people who evaluate model answers and prepare training data, often as freelancers through platforms. The question is not whether a company may verify the identity of those it pays, but whether repeated biometric checks and tracking with third-party tools are proportionate and lawful. The GDPR treats biometric data as a special category with stricter protection, and consent in a working or dependent relationship is often considered not freely given. The complaints do not mean a breach has been established; national authorities will examine them, probably with coordination at European level. Meanwhile, the platform work directive, which must be transposed by the end of 2026, sets further limits on automated monitoring of workers. For Greek businesses that use freelancer platforms, delivery apps or identity verification tools, the message is that verification and monitoring must be limited to what is necessary, documented with an impact assessment and accompanied by answers to access requests within the one-month deadline.

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