Apple Responds to Call Center Worker Complaints About Plans to Monitor Them With Cameras at Home

[Pezimak]

This to me is stepping over the line. It is your home, not an Apple property and they don't own you either. Many other technologies exist to monitor workers without cameras at home.
To be honest it makes Apples mission on privacy totally and utterly hypocritical when they want to throw any idea or privacy out the window with its employee's.

"storage of data about workers' family members, including children."

And that as stated in the article is in some countries simply illegal and unjustified to the extreme. Yet Apple claims they found nothing wrong with the contractor? Don't believe that if the evidence proves they have been barred from using the monitoring technology in one country already.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I did read to the end. Apple's denial seems hollow. Are they calling the Columbian workers liars? Are they actually investigating this specific allegation?

Considering how most folks can’t read and comprehend this story, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone in Columbia takes calls for Apple devices but are NOT working with the direct Apple contract, just some third party that ALSO uses their services. Understanding is a hard thing sometimes.

 

[Shirasaki]

Did you miss the part:

One worker based in Bogota, who works on the Apple account, told NBC News:

Also they missed the part where Apple says they found no core violation during a recent audit.

Guess people just ********** each other without reading the whole thing properly now.

 

[Maconplasma]

This to me is stepping over the line. It is your home, not an Apple property and they don't own you either. Many other technologies exist to monitor workers without cameras at home.
To be honest it makes Apples mission on privacy totally and utterly hypocritical when they want to throw any idea or privacy out the window with its employee's.

Had you taken the time to read the article you wouldn't have posted this.

 

[VulchR]

For everyone who read the headline and skipped the last paragraph....it's not Apple.

And for everybody who hasn't bothered to read posts above, the issue is how seriously Apple is taking this alleged behaviour from the contractor. I'll say again - are Apple calling the Columbian workers liars or not? Are they actually investigating this or not? This story is about Apple.

 

[McG2k1]

Glad to see everyone becoming a center right libertarian the past week. Welcome.

 

[Maconplasma]

Considering how most folks can’t read and comprehend this story, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone in Columbia takes calls for Apple devices but are NOT working with the direct Apple contract, just some third party that ALSO uses their services. Understanding is a hard thing sometimes.

I'm now 100% convinced that people come to MR every morning hoping to see bad news about Apple. The reactions here so ridiculous and it just shows they don't read articles but only titles and send their brain to a knee-jerk reaction. Sad that people can't look for something positive each morning they wake up.

EDIT: Not only that it's pretty obvious that the usuals here keep posting angry responses (LOL) to drown out the ones telling them to read the article. 😁

 

[laz232]

I don't really see the problem to be honest? Cover the camera or unplug it completely when you're done your shift. I'm 110% for WFH but we also have to be flexible. When "at work" having your employer able to monitor you is not the worst thing. Again this is as long as the employees are allowed to physically unplug it when they're off.

From the article "Employees of Teleperformance in Colombia".
Most people there working in call centres don't have a mansion with a separate office space. Ppl are working from their shared bedrooms in houses that probably have parents, grandparents and grandkids walking around.
(FWIW my home-office is in the living room as there is no other space for a desk)

 

[Unregistered 4U]

This to me is stepping over the line. It is your home, not an Apple property and they don't own you either. Many other technologies exist to monitor workers without cameras at home.
To be honest it makes Apples mission on privacy totally and utterly hypocritical when they want to throw any idea or privacy out the window with its employee's.

These aren’t Apple employees, though.

 

[NMBob]

Apple must want to keep an eye on the foreign workers to make sure they don't try to sneak across the border.

 

[VulchR]

Considering how most folks can’t read and comprehend this story, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone in Columbia takes calls for Apple devices but are NOT working with the direct Apple contract, just some third party that ALSO uses their services. Understanding is a hard thing sometimes.

It also wouldn't surprise me if Apple does anything but perfunctuary checks. Again, somebody is not telling the truth. Why would Columbian workers misrepresent what is occurring? Apple, on the other hand, has an economic motive to make it sound like they have checked. Maybe they need to post the details of their audit and how many actual workers selected at random that Apple interviewed.

 

[Shirasaki]

WOW you actually had the audacity to spin this around to make this Apple's fault??? Good God! 🙄

Apple signs a contract with said supplier. Maybe Apple says they don’t audit those suppliers, which means this complain would be a nonstarter. If they do, then either Apple is not auditing or not auditing properly. But based on reading Apple might be also auditing the said company for providing services that Apple use.

Your comments, on the other hand, blows my reply out of proportion. Great.

 

[turbineseaplane]

For everyone who read the headline and skipped the last paragraph....it's not Apple.

It's a company that Apple works with though.
They are complicit here and supporting a contractor that engages in this practice

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I'm now 100% convinced that people come to MR every morning hoping to see bad news about Apple. The reactions here so ridiculous and it just shows they don't read articles but only titles and send their brain to a knee-jerk reaction. Sad that people can't look for something positive each morning they wake up.

EDIT: Not only that it's pretty obvious that the usuals here keep posting angry responses (LOL) to drown out the ones telling them to read the article. 😁

Yeah, and MR will keep doing it because, just you wait, this will be one of their articles that ends up with 200+ responses (mine included! LOL). With ad revenues like that, why would anyone EVER write a headline that’s measured and defines the situation accurately?

 

[mariusignorello]

A call center job is never luxurious, whether it’s for Apple or any other company. They monitor and micro manage the hell out of you to turn and burn calls every second you’re online. The turnover rate is through the roof too.

 

[Morgenland]

This is just creepy and sounds like poor management practices if you cant trust your employees.

What is your personal experience with WFH? Are you a person of 100% integrity?

 

[unobtainium]

I called Apple CS recently and the agent I was talking to periodically screamed profanity at his dog, who was barking. I think he thought he was muting himself when he did that, but..he was not.

Anyway, this sounds invasive and creepy.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

It also wouldn't surprise me if Apple does anything but perfunctuary checks. Again, somebody is not telling the truth. Why would Columbian workers misrepresent what is occurring? Apple, on the other hand, has an economic motive to make it sound like they have checked. Maybe they need to post the details of their audit and how many actual workers selected at random that Apple interviewed.

Why would posters in this thread misrepresent what’s occurring? Why would anyone anywhere misrepresent anything? I mean this IS the universe where everything everyone says is truthful and never misrepresented, right?

Apple has had their say, I’d imagine Telepresence is following up on the remarks from those Colombian workers and, if they had ever taken an Apple call previously, they won’t again. The dollars Telepresence gets from Apple will see to that.

 

[turbineseaplane]

A call center job is never luxurious, whether it’s for Apple or any other company. They monitor and micro manage the hell out of you to turn and burn calls every second you’re online. The turnover rate is through the roof too.

A good reason why it'd be wonderful for a company like Apple, with their sheer scale, power and thus leverage, to refuse to work with a company engaging in this type of awful practice.

Instead they chose to say: "they don't do it on staff working for us specifically"

Pathetic

 

[WhatisKevinupTo]

Why do they need to "see" you? If their work is being done remotely, why do you need to "see" the employees.

Can you actually defend your position instead of giving some nonsense "but this is equivalent to" argument?

It's based on the employee who does not have a professional environment, who is avoiding calls, and not maintaining a secure environment. I did not make the rules, I am simply relaying why some are doing this? I do not need to defend anything as I am just stating what companies are doing.

 

[Morgenland]

This to me is stepping over the line. It is your home, not an Apple property and they don't own you either. Many other technologies exist to monitor workers without cameras at home.
To be honest it makes Apples mission on privacy totally and utterly hypocritical when they want to throw any idea or privacy out the window with its employee's.

"storage of data about workers' family members, including children."

And that as stated in the article is in some countries simply illegal and unjustified to the extreme. Yet Apple claims they found nothing wrong with the contractor? Don't believe that if the evidence proves they have been barred from using the monitoring technology in one country already.

Read.The.Article

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I called Apple CS recently and the agent I was talking to periodically screamed profanity at his dog, who was barking. I think he thought he was muting himself when he did that, but..he was not.

Anyway, this sounds invasive and creepy.

What, you listening to him screaming profanity at his dog rather than to let him know he wasn’t muting?

 

[Pezimak]

hahahaha! 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.

It reminds me of the time Apple argued about Amazon and Google listening to you and recording you, then their contractors got caught with their trousers down doing the exact same thing. Apple isn't shy to being hypocrites to belittle the competition.

 

[Vanexasa]

In a couple of comments you see what went wrong with this world. Read with understanding, without distortion of facts.
Soon Apple will be guilty because some killer has owned the iPhone.

 

[turbineseaplane]

In a couple of comments you see what went wrong with this world. Read with understanding, without distortion of facts.
Soon Apple will be guilty because some killer has owned the iPhone.

Give us some examples (quote them) of the "distortion of the facts" please