An employee of Apple Inc. is suing the tech giant for allegedly engaging in unlawful monitoring of its workers' personal communication devices and accounts. Amar Bhakta, an Apple Inc. employee since 2020, claims that the company mandates employees use iPhones and iCloud accounts for work, which are also linked to personal and family devices.

Apple, Inc. can access information from those devices via the installed software, granting the company access to a plethora of employees' personal information, such as emails, photos, videos, health information, and smart home settings.

Privacy Concerns

The lawsuit raises questions about employee privacy and how far an employer can go to protect itself or increase worker efficiency. For example, some companies may use monitoring software to ensure employees do not share company trade secrets. However, there are both state and federal requirements to do so even on work devices.

The complaint alleges that Apple violates several California labor laws and the state Constitution by requiring workers to sign employment contracts that give Apple valuable, private, non-work personal information and control over their employees' non-work lives. For example, Bhakta claims that one Apple policy allows the company to monitor employees, including by video and electronic surveillance, at their home offices.

Free Speech on Public Platforms

The complaint alleges that Apple Inc. does more than spy on its employees. It seeks to control employees'...

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