Apple accused of illegally monitoring its employees' personal devices and iCloud accounts.
The complaint suggests that Apple requires workers to install software on their personal devices, granting the company access to their emails, photo libraries, and other details.
The lawsuit also alleges that Apple enforces strict confidentiality rules that prevent employees from discussing their pay and working conditions.
Apple is facing serious allegations in a new lawsuit that claims the tech giant is illegally monitoring its employees’ personal devices and iCloud accounts. The complaint, filed in a California state court by Amar Bhakta, a digital advertising employee, suggests that Apple requires workers to install software on their personal devices, granting the company access to their emails, photo libraries, health data, and smart home information.
The lawsuit also alleges that Apple enforces strict confidentiality rules that prevent employees from discussing their pay, working conditions, or any issues they face at work.
According to the complaint, employees are even barred from speaking out through media channels or engaging in legally-protected whistleblowing.
Bhakta, who has worked at Apple since 2020, claims that he was instructed not to talk about his job on podcasts and was forced to remove information about his working conditions from his LinkedIn profile, reports Reuters.
Also read: Apple’s iCloud practices spark $3.78bn legal action, here’s why
“Apple’s surveillance policies and practices chill, and thus also unlawfully restrain, employee whistleblowing, competition, freedom of employee movement in the job market, and freedom of speech,” the lawsuit said.
Apple in a statement provided by a spokesperson denies the allegations, saying the claims in the lawsuit are without merit. The company stressed that its workers are trained every year on their rights to discuss their working conditions.
“At Apple, we’re focused on creating the best products and services in the world, and we work to protect the inventions our teams create for customers,” the tech giant said.
This lawsuit comes after two women filed a complaint in June, accusing Apple of underpaying female workers in its engineering, marketing, and AppleCare divisions. Apple has maintained its commitment to inclusion and pay equity.
Additionally, the company is dealing with multiple complaints from the U.S. labour board, which claims Apple has tried to deter employees from discussing workplace issues such as pay discrimination and sex bias. This includes restrictions on social media use and workplace messaging apps like Slack. Apple has denied any wrongdoing in those cases as well.
The ongoing legal battles highlight growing concerns over employee rights and workplace transparency at some of the world’s largest tech companies.
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Ayushi Jain
Tech news writer by day, BGMI player by night. Combining my passion for tech and gaming to bring you the latest in both worlds. View Full Profile
