When Bennett Cyphers, a staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, started researching what he calls “bossware” — that’s software for monitoring workers — one thing in particular really started to creep him out: the way companies that make this software“They’ll just come out and say, ‘Oh, do you want to get your employees’ private, social media passwords? We can help.’ It’s like…what? There’s a whole world that we sort of stumbled into,” Cyphers said.
Some of this monitoring software captures a log of every application and website employees use, some of it gives minute-by-minute breakdowns of how employees spend their days, and some of it goes beyond that and takes screenshots of their computers or discreetly turns on their cameras and microphones.
Blackman said managers do have hesitations about the software and worry it will damage trust or violate privacy, but they often don’t know what else to do. He sees more invasive software, like a keylogger that monitors every word an employee types, as the next step. He said the monitoring — and the fear of more of it — has already taken a toll.
Even though many on-demand apps, like Uber and Lyft, track workers’ locations, Solis said lately he’s started feeling like worker tracking is expanding. He’s heard from other Shipt workers about the app asking to turn on phone cameras and Shipt workers being watched and reported at grocery stores for things like teaming up with other shoppers.
Ticona is already seeing signs that the coronavirus has opened up a brave new world in worker surveillance. For instance, on online caregiving marketplaces, care workers are now asked to monitor and report their temperatures. It’s optional information, but Ticona said it can feel pretty coercive.
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whyy NPR was pushing an app for our phones for the government to track us because of the Chinese virus that has a 99% survival rate... but beware of your company expecting to make sure you’re working with the equipment THEY paid for and gave you.
whyy Disguised as 'utilization' by some companies
whyy Oh yeah, common practice for a decade now.
whyy '...some of it gives minute-by-minute breakdowns of how employees spend their days, and some of it goes beyond that and takes screenshots of their computers or discreetly turns on their cameras and microphones.' WTF!! Don't use same laptop for work and personal life I guess.
whyy This is BS.
whyy No, but if she did, she’d laugh her ass off.
whyy thanks