Apple Employees: Apple has been accused in a new lawsuit of monitoring the personal devices and accounts of its employees and limiting discussion over pay and workplace conditions. The case was filed in a California court by Apple employee Amar Bhakta, who alleged that the company’s policies violate employees’ rights. This information has come to light in the Reuters report.
What were the allegations made in the lawsuit?
Bhakta, who has been working in the digital advertising department at Apple since 2020, claimed that the company forces the installation of software on personal devices. This software gives Apple access to employees’ personal information, such as emails, photos, health data and smart home setup.
Additionally, the lawsuit also states that Apple’s privacy policies prevent employees from disclosing confidential issues and openly discussing workplace conditions. Bhakta says he was prevented from talking about his work on podcasts and was asked to remove job information from his LinkedIn profile.
“Apple’s surveillance policies place unreasonable restrictions on employees’ ability to speak out, change jobs, and free speech,” the lawsuit reads.
Apple’s response
Apple rejected these allegations and said that they are completely baseless. A company spokesperson said employees are regularly trained about their rights to discuss workplace conditions.
“Apple is focused on creating the world’s best products and services and ensuring the safety of the discoveries we make for our customers,” the spokesperson said.
This lawsuit has been filed at a time when Apple’s workplace policies are being widely investigated. Bhakta’s lawyers are also involved in another case in which Apple is accused of gender pay inequality in its engineering and marketing teams.
Additionally, complaints filed with the Labor Board state that Apple prevented employees from discussing issues such as pay inequality and discrimination by restricting social media and internal communication channels. The lawsuit has been filed under a California law that allows employees to file lawsuits on behalf of the state. The case has highlighted the growing legal challenges facing Apple, even as the company has denied any wrongdoing.
Also read:
