Good job Apple if they don't like it they can always go into the office.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Responds to Call Center Worker Complaints About Plans to Monitor Them With Cameras at Home
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
But they can tell that miner to not use child labor at all, or they won't be working with Apple anymore.
Apple has enormous leverage being, at any given moment, the most valuable company on the planet.
Where do you think I said Apple can tell Dell and Sony what to do? Dell does not mine materials and Sony is likely just a customer of that Telepresence company. None of this is what I said.
It's funny watching all of the anti-Apple comments here. 😆 People are so quick to judge.
Has there actually been PROOF that this article is accurate? Is everyone that just bashed Apple for privacy invasion going to admit they were wrong when this is proven false, or at least not Apple's doing?
Has there actually been PROOF that this article is accurate? Is everyone that just bashed Apple for privacy invasion going to admit they were wrong when this is proven false, or at least not Apple's doing?
I worked in a call centre as a data analyst and programmer. The agents were monitored by managers constantly - you got paid to to sit in cubicle and had managers polling up and down the isles. We could also sit in the control room and monitor everyone in multiple cites at multiple sites. You get to work at home - you get paid - you done;t have to drive to work. You have a job lots off people don't - stop whining - if you don't want to be monitored go shovel dirt for a living. A company that pays you money to sit in front of a computer has a reasonable expectation to check up on you. If you don't like it quit.
Good job with the sensationalized reporting Mac Rumors, you know most of your readers will not peruse the full article so how about putting the response from Apple up near the top...😒 Suprise, suprise, it's the same writer from the "Privacy Whistleblower" article.
It sounds like Teleperformance is wanting to install the cameras and trying to blame it on their larger clients, or whoever did the "research" into this report is making a lot of wild implications.
It sounds like Teleperformance is wanting to install the cameras and trying to blame it on their larger clients, or whoever did the "research" into this report is making a lot of wild implications.
Last edited:
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
Contrary to your beliefs I DID read the article, and understand it, the first part in bold adds evidence to this report being factual and the monitoring actions were being performed.
The second part in bold highlights Apple guilt as it audited the company so full well would know the practices it employs on its staff, thus Apple paying the contractor supports these activities, and the first part in bold again as I stated highlights how the practices ARE being used.
Points it seems you all missed. The contractor are using cameras, And Apple climes they aren’t are unfounded when a country court had to ban thr contractor form their use, thus highlighting it’s a practice said contractor employs regularly as highlighted in the report.
Is there a reading comprehension challenge? Apple is mentioned in an article and then suddenly Apple is at fault?
It's clearly written (look up) that this isn't Apple implementing this monitoring, but the call centre company. If this is true, I agree that it's an extreme. We also need to look at _why_ companies would be considering this. How many "employees" sleep half of their shift because they are at home and not under supervision? Yet claim a full paycheque? That is theft and we all pay the price. We should be angry about about that, not some fictional "Apple is lying about respecting privacy" scandal.
I was a telecommuter way back when and the computer I logged into remotely was in the floor next to my managers desk. So he could see what I was up to all the time, or on when I was doing QA testing and I hung my computer I have to call him to hit the reset switch. So he'd see stuff going on, on my monitor and was happy knowing I was working.
Now the biggest PIA was my last job before retiring. A smaller web business with owner who nano managed everything. We had a about 15 people in a large office, no dividers all open, and camera everywhere practically a camera per person. That jeck owner who office was in the same office space had three large monitors just to watch everything each person did all day. Owner got ticked at one guys for changing his Spotify playlist too often. I'm diabetic and owner it would get upset on the days I went to the bathroom often. So even working in the office asshat managers can monitor every little thing you do.
Now the biggest PIA was my last job before retiring. A smaller web business with owner who nano managed everything. We had a about 15 people in a large office, no dividers all open, and camera everywhere practically a camera per person. That jeck owner who office was in the same office space had three large monitors just to watch everything each person did all day. Owner got ticked at one guys for changing his Spotify playlist too often. I'm diabetic and owner it would get upset on the days I went to the bathroom often. So even working in the office asshat managers can monitor every little thing you do.
I didn't see anyone call the Columbian workers liars. Are you calling Apple liars?
Does there even need to be a liar?
Apple is a massive organization. It directly employees as many people as a mid sized city. It subcontracts to other massive organizations, which in turn subcontract to other very large organizations, etc, rolling up to the size of a large metropolis or mid-sized state.
So when you say it seems hollow, is that because there are a handful of people complaining to a media that loves to invoke Apple's name get eyes and ad revenue or do you think Apple is telling their suppliers one thing and us another? Apple could have easily said "our suppliers maintain their own employment policies that vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction", but they didn't. Do you think Apple can realistically do more than audit and spot check?
I'll bet if you look through the employee rosters of Apple and all of its parts and service suppliers, you'll find someone that goes home and beats their spouse, and someone who embezzles, and someone who shoots up in the employee restrooms-- just like you would in any major city no matter how good the police department.
So, is it good for this to be brought back to Apple's attention? Sure. But everyone lighting their hair on fire like this is the pinnacle or corporate hypocrisy and abuse is out of touch with reasonable expectations.
Are you sure you read it? The opening line says this:
"plans to install", which means that it hadn't yet happened the last time that Apple did an audit. There was no guilt involved. Apple audits its suppliers every year, but can't babysit them every day. And the closing line of the article states that:
So.... they'v publicly stated they will investigate this.
Case is not closed. Apple is not at fault. Apple is not guilty of anything... yet.
Did they have HR departments? If they did, HR’s primary job is to protect the company from employees. So, while they may have treated you with compassion and as people, they didn’t trust you any further than they could throw the corporate attorney.
Good job Tridley68 at reading the entire article because your post does not reflect the article. 😁
I work for a giant corporation and we do sensitive work, yet my employer never feels the need to spy on its employees or their families, it actually has an element of trust with us.
Exactly. If Apple a mine that uses minor miners would lose any support from me and plenty of other folks I know. Kids should have to load sixteen tons, get another day older and deeper in debt.
My supervisor ain't looking over my shoulder for 8 hours in an open office setting. I can ☝️👃 in peace.
You don’t have an AI monitoring your family, and your employer holding data on your children though with contracts demanding they have access to their photos or text. A big difference here. I’m surprised anyone actually works for this company.
Last edited:
No, they can’t. There’s only so many good sources of some of these materials. You either work with the company doing the mining or get out of the business that requires the materials.
Additionally, I would imagine it’s trivial for any of these companies to set up a subsidiary that mines specifically for Apple whereby the stuff mined for Apple is not mined by children, but the stuff NOT mined for Apple? Who knows who mines that? As long as there’s ONE company that doesn’t care, then you can bet it’s being done.
They had to trust us, as we had keys to the kingdom in many respects. I feel bad for people here that feel there is literally one type of business to work in, it seems you all have hostile work environments and just don't realize there are better places out there.
I can tell you didn’t read the article let alone my comment, Apple has not stated once it will be investigating this, you highlighted the quote stating as such.
Doubtful on the highlighted part. If Apple audited the company in February, nothing stops Teleperformance from drawing up new contracts in June to circumvent the audit. Employees complained to a gov't entity thus barring the practice so these contracts seem pretty fresh.
Further reading and understanding how some people are in these countries where the contractor is operating, this part in particular:
Some families and for sure labor camps will put kids to work on these remote jobs, this monitoring is probably to curtail that. These are catch-all clauses built into the contract to protect the company against suits should the software pickup and flag any images with kids in them. Have you tried keeping a toddler in all their clothes while at home? A flag report sent to a manager with images of other people's actual kids playing nearby the computer could face a nasty suit. I am not saying I agree with the direction they're taking just why the contract has this in it. This is part of the compromise people may have to make for getting to work from home versus in a call center or big office environment. It's like installing/using Facebook and demanding everything you share not be scanned and filtered into persona files they keep/use at their discretion 😄 Read those EULAs people.
Last edited:
You're still missing the point entirely. Please go back and read what I wrote.
Nothing but complete theory and personal opinion in your commemt, no proof what so ever to back it up. So yes it does seem I understood it, and your attempt to state otherwise is unfounded without proof.
I like how you made up your own scenario in order to attack Apple when the actual headline states that Apple was forcing WFH employees to have cameras monitoring them. You're so off base but I'm not surprised. Some are working so hard to on their anti-Apple campaign. "Paying the contractor supports these activities." LMAO. That's a huge stretch.