苹果公司向来是硅谷最注重隐私的公司之一,然而苹果一名经理指控公司通过个人设备监视员工。
上周日,苹果数字广告技术和运营经理阿马尔·巴克塔在加州法院提起诉讼称,公司要求员工在工作时放弃个人隐私权。
诉讼称,员工工作时必须使用iPhone等苹果设备,但由于公司向员工发放的苹果设备都不能用于个人用途,很多人选择用个人设备。一份新闻稿称,由于个人设备用于工作,原本将隐私当做宣传重点的苹果声称拥有广泛权限,可以“访问、搜索和使用员工数据,包括个人数据”。
诉讼称,随身携带两部手机不切实际,而且即便员工选择公司发的手机,手机也会记录员工的位置和其他个人信息。
用个人设备工作的员工经常使用个人iCloud帐户,由于苹果每台设备只能登录一个iCloud帐户。诉讼称,苹果可以利用员工工作的个人设备上使用的iCloud帐户访问个人数据以及与该iCloud帐户同步的其他设备上的个人数据,其中可能包括员工家人的设备。
根据诉讼,苹果还要求员工同意“可以对其采取物理、视频和电子监控”,并且可以在“公司场所”搜索员工苹果和非苹果设备,根据苹果一项政策,相关场所可能包括家庭办公室。
“对员工来说,苹果生态系统不是有围墙的花园,而是监狱大院,是个全景监狱。不管员工上班还是下班,都会受到苹果全方位监视,”诉讼中写道。
诉讼还声称,苹果的员工政策规定员工不可讨论违反加州法律的“薪酬”和“培训”,未经公司批准也不能参与与苹果业务有关的演讲。诉讼称,由于该项政策,巴克塔不能发表数字广告方面的演讲,影响了前途,他还不得不编辑自己的领英资料,删除了一些关于在苹果公司职位的信息。
该诉讼还指控,苹果在股权计划和协议中非法声称,如果员工披露任何机密信息或违反与公司的协议,公司有权追回已授予的股票。
“令人失望的是,苹果向来以隐私和保密为宗旨,却要监视和审查我,”巴克塔在一份新闻稿中表示,“我的职业发展受到了影响。希望起诉能促使苹果改变在工作之外监控员工的方式,也提醒其他员工勇敢站出来。”
苹果并未立即回应《财富》杂志的置评请求。发言人向新锐媒体Semafor提供的声明中表示,公司不同意诉讼指控,并补充道:“每个员工都有权讨论工资、工作时间和工作条件,这是公司商业行为政策的一部分,每年所有员工都会接受培训。”(财富中文网)
译者:梁宇
审校:夏林
苹果公司向来是硅谷最注重隐私的公司之一,然而苹果一名经理指控公司通过个人设备监视员工。
上周日,苹果数字广告技术和运营经理阿马尔·巴克塔在加州法院提起诉讼称,公司要求员工在工作时放弃个人隐私权。
诉讼称,员工工作时必须使用iPhone等苹果设备,但由于公司向员工发放的苹果设备都不能用于个人用途,很多人选择用个人设备。一份新闻稿称,由于个人设备用于工作,原本将隐私当做宣传重点的苹果声称拥有广泛权限,可以“访问、搜索和使用员工数据,包括个人数据”。
诉讼称,随身携带两部手机不切实际,而且即便员工选择公司发的手机,手机也会记录员工的位置和其他个人信息。
用个人设备工作的员工经常使用个人iCloud帐户,由于苹果每台设备只能登录一个iCloud帐户。诉讼称,苹果可以利用员工工作的个人设备上使用的iCloud帐户访问个人数据以及与该iCloud帐户同步的其他设备上的个人数据,其中可能包括员工家人的设备。
根据诉讼,苹果还要求员工同意“可以对其采取物理、视频和电子监控”,并且可以在“公司场所”搜索员工苹果和非苹果设备,根据苹果一项政策,相关场所可能包括家庭办公室。
“对员工来说,苹果生态系统不是有围墙的花园,而是监狱大院,是个全景监狱。不管员工上班还是下班,都会受到苹果全方位监视,”诉讼中写道。
诉讼还声称,苹果的员工政策规定员工不可讨论违反加州法律的“薪酬”和“培训”,未经公司批准也不能参与与苹果业务有关的演讲。诉讼称,由于该项政策,巴克塔不能发表数字广告方面的演讲,影响了前途,他还不得不编辑自己的领英资料,删除了一些关于在苹果公司职位的信息。
该诉讼还指控,苹果在股权计划和协议中非法声称,如果员工披露任何机密信息或违反与公司的协议,公司有权追回已授予的股票。
“令人失望的是,苹果向来以隐私和保密为宗旨,却要监视和审查我,”巴克塔在一份新闻稿中表示,“我的职业发展受到了影响。希望起诉能促使苹果改变在工作之外监控员工的方式,也提醒其他员工勇敢站出来。”
苹果并未立即回应《财富》杂志的置评请求。发言人向新锐媒体Semafor提供的声明中表示,公司不同意诉讼指控,并补充道:“每个员工都有权讨论工资、工作时间和工作条件,这是公司商业行为政策的一部分,每年所有员工都会接受培训。”(财富中文网)
译者:梁宇
审校:夏林
A manager at Apple, one of the most privacy-focused companies in Silicon Valley, is accusing his employer of keeping tabs on its employees through their personal devices.
Amar Bhakta, a manager of digital ad tech and operations at Apple, alleged in a lawsuit filed in California state court Sunday that the company requires employees to give up their right to personal privacy when they work there.
Employees must use an Apple device, such as an iPhone, for work, but because any Apple device the company issues to employees can’t be used for personal reasons, many opt to use a personal Apple device, the lawsuit claims. Yet because these personal devices are used for work, the tech company, which has made privacy a key part of its messaging, allegedly claims broad permissions to “access, search, and use all of its employees’ data—including their personal data,” on the personal devices, according to a press release.
Apart from it being impractical to carry around two phones, even if employees were to choose to use a phone issued by the company, the Apple-owned device would still record the employees’ location, among other personal details, the lawsuit claims.
Employees who use their personal devices for work often use their personal iCloud accounts because Apple allows only one iCloud account per device. Apple can then use the iCloud account on a personal device that an employee uses for work to access their personal data and that of any devices synced to that iCloud account, which could include devices owned by an employee’s family, the lawsuit alleges.
Apple also requires employees to agree it “can engage in physical, video, and electronic surveillance of them,” and that it can search an employee’s Apple and non-Apple devices while they are on “company premises,” which according to one Apple policy, can include their home offices, according to the lawsuit.
“For Apple’s employees, the Apple ecosystem is not a walled garden. It is a prison yard. A panopticon where employees, both on and off duty, are ever subject to Apple’s all-seeing eye,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit also alleges that through its employee policies, Apple prevents employees from discussing “compensation” and “training” against California law and prevents them from accepting speaking engagements that relate to Apple’s business without company approval. Because of this policy, Bhakta was not allowed to accept speaking engagements on digital advertising, which harmed his job prospects, the lawsuit claims. It also made him edit his LinkedIn to remove some information about his position at Apple.
The lawsuit also alleges that under its equity plans and agreements, Apple illegally claims the right to claw back vested stock that an employee has earned if they disclose any confidential information or breach an agreement with the company.
“It’s disappointing that Apple, whose ethos is privacy and confidentiality, would try to monitor and censor me,” said Bhakta in a press release. “That hurts my ability to advance professionally. I hope this complaint causes Apple to change their approach to monitoring employees outside of work and reminds employees that they have the power to stand up too.”
Apple did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment. In a statement to Semafor, an Apple spokesperson said the company disagreed with the claims in the lawsuit and added, “Every employee has the right to discuss their wages, hours, and working conditions, and this is part of our business conduct policy, which all employees are trained on annually.”