Talk:ActivTrak

Feedback from New Page Review process

I left the following feedback for the creator/future reviewers while reviewing this article: Nice work!.

North8000 (talk) 14:20, 12 May 2020 (UTC)

Update requests June 2026

I’d like to offer ideas for improving this article. It contains primary sources and missing citations that I suggest be with reliable secondary sources. I’m an employee of ActivTrak so I’ll leave requests for editors to evaluate. Thanks!

1. What I think should be changed:

In the History section, please replace the first sentence of the first paragraph.

Change from:

ActivTrak was founded in 2009 by Herb Axilrod and Anton Seidler in Dallas, Texas. ActivTrak's first on-demand software product launched in 2012, and the workforce analytics platform launched in 2015.

Change to:

ActivTrak was founded in 2009 by Herb Axilrod and Anton Seidler in Dallas, Texas.

Why I think it should be changed:

There were no citations so I added reliable sources for the statements that could be verified.

2. What I think should be changed:

In the History section, please remove the second and third sentences of the first paragraph.

It uses data sourced from more than 9,500 customers and 900,000 users.

Why I think it should be changed:

This information has no source.

3. What I think should be changed:

In the History section, please replace the first sentence of the second paragraph.

Change from:

In 2019, ActivTrak raised $20 million in a Series A round of funding with Elsewhere Partners, a growth-stage venture capital firm that principally invests in B2B startups. 4.

Change to:

In 2019, ActivTrak raised $20 million in Series A funding from the growth-state venture capital firm Elsewhere Partners. The company said the funding would support the establishment of its headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Why I think it should be changed:

Replacing a bad source (press release) and rewriting to provide fundamental details about the company’s funding and expansion verified by reporting in reputable news sources.

4. What I think should be changed:

In the History section, please add a new fourth paragraph:

In 2020, the company started a productivity lab to study workplace trends using data analysis and collaboration with subject matter experts.

Why I think it should be changed:

The suggested sentence adds information about the company’s development beyond its core software product, based on reporting in a high quality news source.

5. What I think should be changed:

In the Products section, please replace the first paragraph.

Change from:

ActivTrak is a workforce analytics and productivity platform that uses reports, dashboards, and data analysis.

Change to:

ActivTrak is a workforce analytics and productivity platform.

Why I think it should be changed:

Replacing a deprecated source (Forbes Contributor) and rewriting the sentence based on reporting in a high quality, editorially credible source.

6. What I think should be changed:

In the Products section, please replace the second paragraph:

Change from:

The platform uses machine learning (AI) to collect and analyze user activity data and produce reports about workforce productivity. The software runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac, Chrome, Terminal Services, and VDI. It includes the ActivTrak Agent, which runs in the background and collects data. It responds to user activity, sensing mouse and keyboard movement in the active window(s) of the user's device. This data is collected and stored in a database that aggregates the data based on the user's request. ActivTrak does not utilize keystroke logging, content scraping, camera access, video recording or mobile device monitoring. The database leverages data analytics to generate account and team benchmarks, and identify productivity patterns and outliers.

Change to:

The ActivTrak Agent runs in the background and collects data in response to user activity. Data is collected for analysis and reporting purposes, excluding non-business activities and sensitive information, in accordance with CCPA, GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type 2 requirements. ActivTrak does not utilize keystroke logging, content scraping, camera access, video recording or mobile device monitoring.

Why I think it should be changed:

The suggested paragraph replaces statements sourced to a company website, company PDF, and unsourced website with similar statements that are verified in independent, reliable sources.

7. What I think should be changed:

In the Products section, please add the following as the final sentence of the second paragraph:

The cloud-based software captures desktop activity logs and provides dashboards and reports showing workers’ web usage, application usage, and time categorized as “productive” or “unproductive.” The software can capture screenshots, block websites, and create alarms for suspicious activity.

Why I think it should be changed:

The suggested statements provide a basic description of the company’s products and services - which is necessary for an encyclopedic understanding of the topic - based on reporting in editorially credible sources.

8. What I think should be changed:

Please replace the Awards section:

Change from:

“Awards”

• Built In, 100 Best Midsize Places to Work in Austin, 2025
• G2, Winter: Best Estimated ROI, High Performer, Best Relationship, Best Support, Users Most Likely to Recommend, Easiest Setup, Easiest Admin, Best Meets Requirements, Users Love Us, 2025
• TrustRadius, Buyer’s Choice, 2025
• Deloitte Technology Fast 500, No. 468 Fastest-Growing Company, 2024
• Product Marketing Alliance, AI Marketing Innovation, 2024
• Fortune Best Workplaces in Technology™, 2024
• Inc. 5000, No. 2335 of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies, 2024
• Fortune Best Workplaces in Texas™, 2024
• Reworked IMPACT Gold Award: Most Innovative Workplace Productivity Solution, 2024
• TrustRadius, Most Loved, 2024
• Great Place To Work-Certified™, 2024
• Inc. 5000 Regionals: Southwest, 2024
• Brandon Hall Group, Best Advance in HR Predictive Analytics Technology, 2024

Change to:

ActivTrak has appeared on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 and Inc. 5000 lists.

Why I think it should be changed:

I’ve rewritten to include only notable awards.

Thanks for looking over these suggestions. Mopac2026 (talk) 18:12, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

I can't access the WSJ right now, so I'll return and look at those citations you recommend at a later time.

 Done 1. Request to cite founding date and location with links to Inc., Pitchbook, and Venture Beat

Partly done 2a. Request to remove sentence with number of customers and users, due to "citation needed" flag. Instead of removing, I added citations, clarified dates, and moved it up to the introductory text since it's current not historical.

Partly done 2b. Request to remove sentence with dates of first on-demand software product launch (2012) and workforce analytics platform launch (2015), due to "citation needed" flag. This information was added to the article as part of a bigger edit in August 2021, and originally was more precise: 'ActivTrak's first software-as-a-service (SaaS) product launched in 2012 and the workforce analytics platform launched in 2015.' I deleted the mention of a platform, assuming that was the 2016 redesigned dashboard. To address the other, I added more historical information to provide context and also added citations.

Not done for now 3a. Request to change sentences about the 2019 funding to emphasize that the VC was "growth-state" instead of "growth-stage" and not mention that they "principally invest in B2B startups". This is in the same citation recommended for the addition of a statement about headquarters (3b, below). When I can access the WSJ, I'll return to this.

 Done 3b. Request to mention that in 2019, Elsewhere Partners stated they were supportive of making the Austin location headquarters.

Partly done 4. Request to reword sentence about the Productivity Lab. Reworded sentence mostly as suggested, but made clear that the lab is more about using aggregate data from ActivTrak's clients than it is a think-tank of productivity experts. However, I also added a few examples of the research coming out of the lab.

Not done for now 5. Request to drop mention of reports and dashboard, and exchange citation for one in WSJ. I can't access the article now, but will try again later.

 Not done 6a. Request change to sentence in Products section, to not mention machine learning and to use passive words to smooth over what triggers the data collection, and change citation. Business.com is not a better citation that the ActivTrak website, because it's just advertising—I see it's cited elsewhere in this article, and I'll try to find something better for that. The wording is more specific and clear than the proposed rephrasing.

 Done 6b. Removed sentence that lists where the software runs (Windows, Terminal Services, etc.) and citation to marketing flyer.

 Not done 6c. Request removing sentence that states the agent runs the background when collecting data that's triggered by mouse jiggles and keyboard activity. This is a plain-English explanation of generally how the software works, and is balanced well by the sentences about its limits.

 Done 6d. Changed statement about storing aggregated data to one that specifies data collection follows laws, with better citation.

 Done 6e. Removed sentence about data analytics provided to individual customers about their workers. I folded this meaning into an earlier sentence.

 Done 7. Added mention of specific features, and promoted it to the top of the section as a definition of the product.

 Done 8. Removed some awards, and update citations.

Wikipedian-in-Waiting (talk) 23:31, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

 Not done 3a. Request to change sentences about the 2019 funding to emphasize that the VC was "growth-state" instead of "growth-stage" and not mention that they "principally invest in B2B startups". The suggested WSJ link provides almost no information about ActivTrak, just a general quote about changes in leadership that come with venture capitalist money.

Partly done 5. Request to drop mention of reports and dashboard, and exchange citation for one in WSJ. The suggested WSJ link is about a report that ActiveTrak released based on the aggregated data collected from their customers, about the effects of AI on worker output. Meanwhile, the current sentence is about features (reports, dashboards, data analysis). However, there is now a mention of some of these reports; I will move that down to the "Product" section, and separately I'll add a few more links to WSJ articles about ActivTrak features and uses. Wikipedian-in-Waiting (talk) 17:46, 29 June 2026 (UTC)

@Wikipedian-in-Waiting:

I appreciate the time and effort you devoted to the review. I have two matters I wanted to discuss.

You added this sentence to the lead:

In 2026, ActivTrak stated that more than 9,500 corporations were using their product to passively monitor more than 1 million workers.

The source is an ActivTrak press release, so it is a non-independent source under WP:Primary. My understanding is that primary sources can only be used for when “reputably published” and don’t require interpretation. That almost always excludes press releases and company websites.. Based on the policy, I think the sentence should be removed. I see other pages for public companies where SEC filings are used to source revenue, but those are officially submitted to the government under penalty of law.

However, if you do think the source is reliable, then the Wikipedia statement needs to reflect the press release accurately. The press release says that ActivTrak had “more than 1 million usersand that “more than 9,500 organizations trust ActivTrak’s technology.” It’s not accurate to say corporations (that excludes consultants, non-profits, universities and others); and it does not say the users were workers, nor that they were being passively monitored. The company has many products, such as AI analytics of corporate databases, that don’t involve monitoring. And, I explain below, describing monitoring without noting data is anonymized and aggregated, is really misleading.

An accurate summary supported by the source would say “In 2026, ActivTrak stated that more than one million people and 9,500 organizations used their products.

As you can see, the language of the press release requires interpretation (what is an organization? What is a user?) - another reason why it is not suitable under WP: Primary.

You added these sentences to the second paragraph of the Products section:

In general, what's called "worker surveillance systems" are agent-based systems; that is, they collect a lot of data by installing a piece of software on the workers' computers, tablets, and smartphones. The ActivTrak Agent runs in the background and collects data. It responds to user activity, sensing mouse and keyboard movement in the active window(s) of the user's device; it does not use keystroke logging, content scraping, camera access, video recording, or mobile device monitoring

The second sentence -”The ActivTrak Agent runs in the background and collects data” - omits maybe the most critical detail - that the data is anonymized and aggregated. These are critical privacy controls that are very different from individual employee surveillance. Without this detail, the sentence will lead people to make the opposite conclusion.

I would suggest that sentence be replaced with: ”The ActivTrak Agent runs in the background and collects anonymized, aggregated data.”

Thanks for reviewing. Mopac2026 (talk) 15:02, 3 August 2026 (UTC)

Thanks for the follow-up.

On the 1M-users sentence: agreed this is a WP:PRIMARY/ABOUTSELF issue beyond just wording, since it requires interpretation to state accurately. I've removed it rather than reword it.

On the Agent sentence: the VentureBeat source already cited in the article describes the dashboard populating a table of "estimated web usage, app usage, and productive/unproductive time" per user, with usernames visible in the activity log. That's consistent with individual-level collection, not anonymization at that stage. Do you have a source describing anonymization specifically at collection, as distinct from the aggregate cross-customer research covered in the Productivity Lab section? Happy to revisit with that. Wikipedian-in-Waiting (talk) 16:01, 3 August 2026 (UTC)