Apple Accused of Monitoring Employees’ Devices and Suppressing Internal Dissent

A recent complaint accuses Apple of unlawfully monitoring its employees’ personal devices and iCloud accounts while preventing them from speaking out about their wages and working conditions.

Apple requires its employees to install software on their personal devices used for work, allowing Apple to access their email, photo libraries, health, and “smart home” data, among other personal information, according to a complaint filed in California state court on Sunday by Amar Bhakta, who works for the company in digital advertising.

The lawsuit also claims that Apple has confidentiality standards that forbid employees from engaging in legally permitted whistleblowing and talking about working conditions, including with the media.

After working for Apple since 2020, Bhakta claims he was told to take information about his working circumstances from his LinkedIn profile and was prohibited from discussing his job on podcasts.

“Apple’s surveillance policies and practices chill, and thus also unlawfully restrain, employee whistleblowing, competition, freedom of employee movement in the job market, and freedom of speech,” claimed the complaint.

According to a statement from an Apple representative, the lawsuit’s allegations are unfounded, and Apple employees receive yearly training on their rights to speak out about their working conditions.

“At Apple, we strive to protect the innovations our teams develop for customers and we’re focused on creating the best products and services in the world,” the company stated.

Bhakta’s attorneys also defend two women who sued Apple in June, alleging that the company routinely underpaid women in its marketing, engineering, and AppleCare departments. Apple has stated that the company is dedicated to wage equity and inclusivity.

A U.S. labour board has also filed at least three complaints against Apple, alleging that the company has unlawfully prevented workers from speaking with one another and the media about issues including sexism and wage discrimination by limiting their access to social media and the Slack messaging service. The business has denied any misconduct.

A special California legislation that permits employees to bring legal action against their employers on behalf of the state and retain 35% of any fines obtained was used to file the new complaint.

Daniel Wiessner reported from Albany, New York, while Bill Berkrot and Alexia Garamfalvi edited the story.