This is the equivalent of being in a brick and mortar. They can see you there, they should be able to see you while you are working.
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Apple Responds to Call Center Worker Complaints About Plans to Monitor Them With Cameras at Home
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TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
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hahahaha! Do you believe what the spokesperson for Apple is saying? It is not hard to lie and cover-up. Sounds like Apple is sweeping it under the rug.
Wake up dude, We are getting played.
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I agree, it should not matter
Monitoring workers is a touchy subject. It does occur to me, however, that when someone is working at an office, then they are subject to monitoring and probably don't even think about it (or know if it is going on).
I seem to recall that factory workers (auto workers, for example) have had their work monitored in the past. Whether this was to track efficiency, or for other reasons, I don't know.
It is reasonable to expect some trade-off for giving workers the flexibility to telework rather than drive in to an office, for those positions where remote working is equally effective. And the same point applies to workers overseas who now have the opportunity to work, where in the past it would not be available to them.
I don't like that this might result in an invasion of the workers privacy. A reasonable middle ground needs to be found.
And as was previously pointed out, Apple states that this is not their policy. The complaint applies to a subcontractor used by Apple, with the claim that they do not (or are not permitted by Apple) monitor their workers who are assigned to Apple support.
(edited for clarity of points and to reflect my later review of the original article)
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When "at work", did you have to ask for permission to leave your desk to go pee or get a glass of water or cup of coffee?
I can say there are contractors who are required to appear on camera for a environment check every so often. Not sure how often though.
This is true, but funny how in the past week Apple is now trying to make it more like 1984. I seem to remember a certain advert about that
What the hell has happened to Tim Cook's Apple ?
Creepy & getting Creepier by the week !
Creepy & getting Creepier by the week !
You didn’t read the article and posted a knee jerk reaction. It’s okay. Just move on. No need for unfounded ramblings.
Right?!! There was an article last week or so about some other Apple supply-chain contractor who was alleged to be treating employees like slaves and Apple said "We inspect regularly and didn't find any problems!". What a joke. When you, the richest company around, pays a 3rd world country a couple bucks an hour per worker, what do you expect?
Read the article.
“A spokesperson for Apple, Nick Leahy, said that the company "prohibits the use of video or photographic monitoring by our suppliers and have confirmed Teleperformance does not use video monitoring for any of their teams working with Apple."
WTF?
Workers used to support Apple's call centers around the world have complained about plans to install cameras to monitor them when working from home, NBC News reports.
Employees of Teleperformance in Colombia, a major call center company used by Apple, have raised concerns about lengthy new contracts that allow them to be monitored by AI-powered cameras installed in their homes, voice analytics, and storage of data about workers' family members, including children. One worker based in Bogota, who works on the Apple account, told NBC News:
The contract asked workers to agree to video cameras being installed in their home or on their computers, angled toward their workspace, to record and monitor them in real-time. It also included the requirement for consent to be monitored using AI-powered video analysis tools that can identify restricted objects around the workspace, such as cellphones.
In addition, it asked workers to agree to the sharing of data and images relating to any children they have under the age of 18 who may be picked up by video and audio monitoring tools, give biometric data, including fingerprints, and even take polygraph tests.
According to The Guardian, Teleperformance's software scans for video breaches of work rules and sends this to managers. Workers have to click "break mode" in the software to leave their desks and offer an explanation for doing so. Workers also risk being marked as "idle" if they do not use their mouse or keyboard for a certain amount of time.
Workers were reportedly told by their supervisors that if they refused to sign the new contract, they would be moved off of the Apple account.
Outside Colombia, Teleperformance uses software called TP Cloud Campus, which allows staff to work remotely in more than 19 markets, but also includes "AI to monitor clean desk policy and fraud" by analyzing camera feeds. Teleperformance has enabled 240,000 of around 380,000 employees to work from home around the world, including in India, Mexico, and the Philippines, via the TP Cloud Campus software.
Teleperformance employees in Albania, including those who work on Apple's UK account, complained to the country's Information and Data Protection Commissioner about proposals to introduce video monitoring in their homes, which resulted in Teleperformance being barred from using cameras to monitor staff working from home in that country.
A Teleperformance spokesperson told NBC News that the new contracts obtain consent for a range of scenarios to comply with data privacy laws as it develops and optimizes tools for long-term working from home for employees and clients, improving the "Teleperformance Colombia experience for both our employees and our customers, with privacy and respect as key factors in everything we do."
Workers said that management told them that it was clients who requested the additional monitoring to improve security and prevent data breaches while working from home, but the move to implement monitoring technology in employees' homes does not appear to have come from Apple. Amazon and Uber are also among Teleperformance's clients.
A spokesperson for Apple, Nick Leahy, said that the company "prohibits the use of video or photographic monitoring by our suppliers and have confirmed Teleperformance does not use video monitoring for any of their teams working with Apple." Apple said that it audited Teleperformance in Colombia this year and did not find any "core violations of our strict standards," adding "We investigate all claims and will continue to ensure everyone across our supply chain is treated with dignity and respect."
Article Link: Apple Responds to Call Center Worker Complaints About Plans to Monitor Them With Cameras at Home
Yeah yeah, those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Over a weekend Apple became worse than Facebook & Co.
But why should we expect them to threat their suppliers better than their customers.
Big Apple is watching you!
But why should we expect them to threat their suppliers better than their customers.
Big Apple is watching you!
First, MR shouldn’t bury the Apple response at the bottom of an article about Apple’s response. Nobody reads that much text on the internet, so filling the article with a bunch of information before the part where Apple says the prohibit that for their workers is just inflammatory.
Second, readers shouldn’t be so knee-jerk. Read to the end, think, then respond.
Second, readers shouldn’t be so knee-jerk. Read to the end, think, then respond.
REALLY not liking the new Apple. I'd really like an explanation for what the hell is going on? Has there been some kind of anti-privacy coup going on in the company? Did they lose too many good people from the pandemic/general state of California that caused people to move away that were pro-privacy and now all that's left are the scumbags? This is so wild. Thanks, I hate it.
Right, right. Whatever you say, Apple, whatever you say. I'm sure you're right and honest about everything. It's always everybody else's fault and ignorance and you're always right and noble.
Did you miss the part:
One worker based in Bogota, who works on the Apple account, told NBC News:
They do. I know of many contractors including Kelly Services, and a few others who I cannot recall their names. Not the highest quality people apply. Well that is not entirety true. There are some good employees, but the majority needs someone looking over their shoulder since they think a work at home position is something that does not require a solid work ethic.
Nope. I also didn’t miss the part where Apple did not request this, nor do they allow for it.
You think is is reasonable to require EVERY call center employee to have AI cameras tracking them in their homes just to give the security team the ability to pinpoint breaches? Time to hire a new security team if they can’t handle their jobs without creeping on people via camera feeds in their homes.
It is highly illegal elsewhere.
privacy is not an aspect where “we” have to be flexible. As Apple puts it: it is a human right. (And a matter of law in a lot of countries).
my partner and I share an office in the house. Both our employers would have a fit if the other employer would be allowed to “monitor“ that room. Not to mention the courts would tear them to shreds.
Right? It’s crazy how over half this article is people freaking out because they read the headline. This thread has their pitchforks out and didn’t even read to the bottom lol. Oh well, I guess, it did it’s job and gets people riled up.
This is why I always laugh when people say Apple is protecting their privacy.
What is clear that Apple is doing, is tailoring their policies and software to screw their competitor's ability track Apple users on their platform like google or facebook, but while nobody really knows what Apple does with data it gathers from Apple users, since nobody can audit them or make sure they don't do anything nefarious.
What is clear that Apple is doing, is tailoring their policies and software to screw their competitor's ability track Apple users on their platform like google or facebook, but while nobody really knows what Apple does with data it gathers from Apple users, since nobody can audit them or make sure they don't do anything nefarious.
Employees have ZERO right to privacy while being paid to work. The employer owns everything you do during that time, including all your email and phone conversations as well as any activities while on the clock in the designated work area.
People: please realize, this is a click bait article - it is not Apple, but the contractor issuing the contracts. And there are many laws that require company employees who handle private date to be monitored. This is all about maintaining the “privacy” of the people needing support.