---
title: "Manus | Ethical Stack"
url: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/manus/
catalog_version: f6baff2119d0e9158520da7fbe4232011dac79f25bd08757436d7a1dbd593db2
---

# Manus

General-purpose agent for research, automation, software and creative workflows, with a cloud computer, browser and integrations.

Canonical profile: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/manus/

Scope: Hosted consumer and team agent; current organization states it resumed independent operations after a temporary Meta ownership period. Model, tools, team plan and data region vary by route.

Published overall: 3.2; 5/6 dimensions rated.

Round the equal-weight mean of available numerical ratings to one decimal; require at least four of six for an overall score. BDS status stays outside the mean; for eligible profiles, a boycott target caps the final score at 2/10 and a pressure target subtracts one point (minimum 1). Not listed and not checked do not adjust the score.

## Energy practices

Finding: 2/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/manus/#energy

Manus documents cloud orchestration even when the desktop app uses local files or scripts; it provides no product energy report, site electricity disclosure or documented resource controls.

Reason: 1 + 1 reporting + 0 electricity + 0 controls = 2/10. This grades documented practices and transparency.

Argument: Manus distinguishes desktop access to the user’s machine from cloud orchestration and agent decisions, establishing a relevant operating boundary. The reviewed service and trust pages do not quantify task energy, locate the serving facility or describe workload controls tied to physical resource reductions.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (dimension): Hosted consumer and team agent; current organization states it resumed independent operations after a temporary Meta ownership period. Model, tools, team plan and data region vary by route.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Cloud model/provider, task energy, region/facility electricity and task-level resource controls remain unspecified in reviewed product materials.

```json
{
  "method": "practices-transparency-v1",
  "scope": "Hosted consumer and team agent; current organization states it resumed independent operations after a temporary Meta ownership period. Model, tools, team plan and data region vary by route.",
  "components": {
    "disclosure": {
      "score": 1,
      "reason": "Manus documentation distinguishes local desktop access from continued cloud orchestration and model decisions, but reports no energy figures.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://help.manus.im/en/articles/14134826-understanding-credit-consumption-in-the-manus-desktop-app",
        "https://manus.im/"
      ]
    },
    "electricity": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "Cloud dependence is established, but the reviewed product sources do not identify serving regions or the electricity mix for Manus tasks.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://manus.im/",
        "https://trust.manus.im/"
      ]
    },
    "demand": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "The reviewed Manus materials do not establish a token/context/compute control that limits physical resources for a task.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://manus.im/",
        "https://trust.manus.im/"
      ]
    }
  },
  "actualImpactMeasured": false
}
```

- [Manus official product site](https://manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Manus Trust Center](https://trust.manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Desktop app credit and cloud/local explanation](https://help.manus.im/en/articles/14134826-understanding-credit-consumption-in-the-manus-desktop-app) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Training data

Finding: Depends on the model

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/manus/#training-rights

The product can route tasks through multiple models or providers, so no single training corpus applies to this agent entry.

Reason: Select and assess the exact model and provider route before assigning corpus rights; do not infer permission from a no-training-on-prompts control.

Argument: The product can route tasks through multiple models or providers, so no single training corpus applies to this agent entry. Model version, provider, and any fine-tuning or post-training sources must be checked for the selected route; a client privacy setting does not establish training-material permission.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Hosted consumer and team agent; current organization states it resumed independent operations after a temporary Meta ownership period. Model, tools, team plan and data region vary by route.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Exact model, version, provider, inherited base, and fine-tuning corpus vary by route or are not disclosed in the reviewed product sources.

```json
{
  "method": "training-rights-evidence-v1",
  "scope": "The stated training release or selected model",
  "components": null,
  "routeDependency": "Select and assess the exact model and provider route before assigning corpus rights; do not infer permission from a no-training-on-prompts control.",
  "modelReference": null
}
```

- [Manus official product site](https://manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Manus Resumes Independent Operations](https://manus.im/blog/manus-resumes-independent-operations) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Your data & privacy

Finding: 4/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/manus/#privacy

Manus uses cloud agent infrastructure; its desktop can access the local computer but agent orchestration and inference still depend on Manus cloud.

Reason: 4/10 reflects cloud orchestration and account deletion/security controls, while retention, subprocessors, region and local-only execution remain incompletely established.

Argument: Manus says its desktop app can interact with the user’s local computer and GPU, but task planning and agent decisions continue to rely on Manus cloud. The Trust Center describes service security controls and account data deletion, but no local-only agent route is established by these sources.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Hosted consumer and team agent; current organization states it resumed independent operations after a temporary Meta ownership period. Model, tools, team plan and data region vary by route.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Consumer retention, model/provider subprocessors, regional processing, and exact delete/export behavior require product-specific privacy terms and current settings.

- [Manus official product site](https://manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Manus Trust Center](https://trust.manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Desktop app credit and cloud/local explanation](https://help.manus.im/en/articles/14134826-understanding-credit-consumption-in-the-manus-desktop-app) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Openness

Finding: 2/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/manus/#openness

Manus is a hosted proprietary agent; the website describes capabilities but does not publish its runtime or underlying models as open source.

Reason: 2/10 reflects a hosted agent service; the reviewed public materials do not establish an open-source client or user-controlled model deployment.

Argument: The official product site offers web and desktop services with a cloud computer and task execution. No agent code or complete model weights are published in the cited product pages, so users cannot independently reproduce the full hosted service.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Hosted consumer and team agent; current organization states it resumed independent operations after a temporary Meta ownership period. Model, tools, team plan and data region vary by route.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Exact model lineup, runtime source and route-specific licenses vary and are not fully specified in public product materials.

- [Manus official product site](https://manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Manus Plans & Pricing](https://manus.im/en/pricing) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Worker protections

Finding: 1/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/manus/#labour

Security and privacy certifications are listed, but worker conditions and voice are not established.

Reason: 1 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 1/10. Documented worker protections; missing disclosure is an evidence gap.

Argument: Manus’s Trust Center lists assurance for security and privacy management, but the reviewed sources do not provide pay, conditions, worker voice, or contractor protections. Security certifications are not treated as workforce assurance; the score therefore reflects limited relevant disclosure.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Hosted consumer and team agent; current organization states it resumed independent operations after a temporary Meta ownership period. Model, tools, team plan and data region vary by route.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Employee and contractor labor conditions, annotation work and remedy outcomes were not established by the reviewed sources.

```json
{
  "method": "worker-safeguards-evidence-v1",
  "entity": "products/manus",
  "company": "",
  "scope": "The named developer or operator",
  "components": {
    "conditions": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "Reviewed product and trust pages do not provide workforce pay or conditions evidence.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://manus.im/",
        "https://trust.manus.im/"
      ]
    },
    "voice": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No workforce voice/complaint outcome evidence is identified in these official sources.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://manus.im/",
        "https://trust.manus.im/"
      ]
    },
    "assurance": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "The listed security and privacy certifications do not establish workforce conditions or labor assurance.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://trust.manus.im/"
      ]
    }
  },
  "disclosureLimited": true
}
```

- [Manus Trust Center](https://trust.manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Manus official product site](https://manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Military ties

Finding: 7/10

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/manus/#military-contracts

No military-use policy or defense relationship is established in the reviewed sources.

Reason: 7 base + 0 safeguard adjustment = 7/10 (0 of 9 safeguard points; every 3 adds 1). No military relationship was established in the cited sources. This ranks above known defense ties without claiming a verified clean record.

Argument: Manus’s product and Trust Center describe agent capabilities and security practices but do not identify military contracts or a binding military-use prohibition. The product’s cloud infrastructure and connected model providers remain distinct from its company-level relationships.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Hosted consumer and team agent; current organization states it resumed independent operations after a temporary Meta ownership period. Model, tools, team plan and data region vary by route.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: Full customer, supplier, government, and underlying model-provider relationships require additional review.

```json
{
  "method": "military-ties-priority-v2",
  "entity": "products/manus",
  "company": "",
  "scope": "The named developer or operator",
  "components": {
    "restrictions": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "Reviewed official product pages do not establish military-use restrictions.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://manus.im/",
        "https://trust.manus.im/"
      ]
    },
    "oversight": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No military-specific enforcement, oversight or remedy is documented in reviewed sources.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://manus.im/",
        "https://trust.manus.im/"
      ]
    },
    "transparency": {
      "score": 0,
      "reason": "No defense customer or operational military relationship is disclosed in reviewed product and trust pages.",
      "sourceUrls": [
        "https://manus.im/",
        "https://trust.manus.im/"
      ]
    }
  },
  "disclosureLimited": true,
  "relationship": "not-established",
  "relationshipReason": "Reviewed official sources do not establish a defense contract, customer, or military deployment.",
  "score": 7,
  "baseScore": 7,
  "safeguardPoints": 0,
  "safeguardAdjustment": 0,
  "rawScore": 7,
  "cap": null
}
```

- [Manus official product site](https://manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Manus Trust Center](https://trust.manus.im/) (primary; checked not recorded)

## BDS targets

Finding: Not listed

Assessment: https://ethicalstack.ai/products/manus/#israel-palestine

Manus is not named in the two reviewed BNC target lists; it currently states that it resumed independent operations.

Reason: Campaign category, excluded from numerical scoring.

Argument: Manus’s September 2026 statement says it resumed independent operations after its prior Meta separation. The BNC lists checked here do not name Manus; this does not inherit Meta’s company finding and is not an endorsement.

Type: argument; confidence: medium

Scope (profile): Hosted consumer and team agent; current organization states it resumed independent operations after a temporary Meta ownership period. Model, tools, team plan and data region vary by route.

Research reviewed: not recorded; evidence date: not recorded

Unknowns: This is limited to the two official BNC campaign sources; it does not cover every local campaign, supplier, investment, or future change.

- [BNC consumer boycott and pressure guide](https://bdsmovement.net/Guide-to-BDS-Boycott) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [BNC No Tech campaign](https://bdsmovement.net/no-tech-oppression-apartheid-or-genocide) (primary; checked not recorded)

- [Manus Resumes Independent Operations](https://manus.im/blog/manus-resumes-independent-operations) (primary; checked not recorded)

## Reading the evidence

- Assessments are provisional editorial judgments. Cite the profile and the underlying sources, and retain confidence, scope and unknowns.

- Unknown, not-applicable and model-dependent are different states. Missing evidence does not establish good or bad conduct.

- Company-level evidence does not establish use of a particular product or model. Account plan, model, host and route can change an assessment.

- Energy scores describe documented practices and transparency, not measured request emissions. Zero component points can mean an evidence gap.

- Published overall scores require at least four of six numerical dimensions. Preserve coverage and BDS adjustments; BDS itself is categorical.

- No named BDS target found is limited to the reviewed campaign sources and is not approval. Personalized priorities do not change the published overall score.

- Review and source-check dates describe the research, not this deployment. Fetch current primary sources when the decision requires current verification.

Methodology: https://ethicalstack.ai/methodology/