An Apple employee in the US has filed a lawsuit against the tech giant, alleging invasion of personal privacy and surveillance concerns, Semafor reported. As per the lawsuit filed by Amar Bhakta and accessed by The Verge, the company’s requirement for employees to use Apple devices enables it to collect and use valuable personal data of employees.
Additionally, Apple mandates employees to waive their privacy rights, permitting “physical, video, and electronic surveillance” even when working from home offices, which are allegedly considered “company premises”. This policy was termed a “prison yard” in the lawsuit.
Apple also faces accusations of subjecting employees to “speech suppression policies” seeking to harm prospective employment opportunities. To explain, Bhakta argues that Apple prohibited him from speaking about his work experience on podcasts and directed the removal of information concerning his work conditions and experience from Bhakta’s LinkedIn profile. Additionally, such policies forbid employees from engaging in conversations about potential work problems and compensation issues.
In a statement, Apple explained that every employee has the right to discuss their wages, hours, and working conditions and that this right is part of their business conduct policy, which they train all employees on annually.
Previously, employees pushing back on company practices mandating them to link their personal Apple IDs and work accounts have also raised privacy invasion concerns, The Verge reported. To explain, the report provides the example of an Apple employee who, after resigning from his position, received instructions to return his work laptop without erasing the computer’s hard drive, as per company policy. Despite the device containing his private documents, the management explicitly forbade the employee from removing them, curtailing his access and control over his personal data.
Besides this, Apple is facing at least three complaints by a US labour board of illegally deterring employees from discussing issues like sex bias and pay discrimination, among others, Reuters reported.
Like Apple, tech giant Google has also been called out for indulging in employee surveillance, Bloomberg reported. Over recent years, such practices have increasingly extended into new areas, often under the guise of workplace safety. As per a study by Top10VPN, the demand for employee monitoring software has surged 60% since 2019.
