Tim Cook’s company is accused of eavesdropping on employees’ personal data, calling the Apple environment a jail yard.

News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 3rd December 2024

A current Apple employee has accused the Cupertino-based tech company of eavesdropping on its staff using personal devices like iPads and iPhones. The case was filed on Sunday by Amar Bhakta, who has worked in Apple’s digital advertising division since 2020.

Bhakta contends that Apple asks employees to waive their right to privacy as a condition of employment. The lawsuit also claims that Apple forces employees to sign a policy allowing the corporation to “engage in physical, video, and electronic surveillance of them” even when they are at home.

According to the lawsuit, Apple forces its employees to use only Apple-made items at work. However, due to Apple’s limits on work devices, the lawsuit says that most employees use their personal devices. However, an Apple policy apparently specifies that when employees use their personal devices, any data associated with their personal account, including emails, images, video, notes, and so on, will be’subject to search by Apple’.

“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,” the lawsuit claims

The lawsuit also claims that Apple restricts employees’ free speech by preventing them from discussing their working conditions and wages, as well as their political involvement. Apple’s ban on employees discussing their work and the company’s operations is also said to hinder their job prospects.The lawsuit also claims that Apple restricts employees’ free speech by preventing them from discussing their working conditions and wages, as well as their political involvement. Apple’s ban on employees discussing their work and the company’s operations is also said to hinder their job prospects.