Apple Allegedly Spies on Workers

An Apple employee filed a lawsuit accusing the company of illegally monitoring members of its workforce. The worker claims Apple spies through personal iCloud accounts and non-work devices.

Apple stated the claims in the lawsuit lack merit and its workers are trained annually on their rights to discuss their working conditions. The lawsuit filed in a California state court by Amar Bhakta alleges Apple maintains company-wide policies that suppress its employees’ speech and require them to give up their right to personal privacy. It claims the company believes it can engage in physical, video, and electronic surveillance of them, and search Apple and non-Apple devices even in their home offices.

“Apple requires employees to waive their inalienable right to privacy and autonomy and to patronize Apple, as a condition of their employment. Apple requires the use of Apple devices, software, and services for work, including personal iCloud accounts. Whether owned by Apple or the employee, these devices collect and use the valuable personal data of Apple employees and those with whom they interact,” the lawsuit states.

Bhakta started working for Apple in 2020 as a digital advertising technical and operations manager. He claims Apple prohibited him from participating in public speaking engagements about digital advertising and required him to remove information from his LinkedIn page regarding his job, all of which he states harmed his employment prospects with other companies. “For Apple employees, the Apple ecosystem is not a walled garden. It is a prison yard. A panopticon where employees, both on and off duty, are subject to Apple’s all-seeing eye,” he alleges.