Why Privacy Matters to Workers
Privacy is essential to protecting the dignity, autonomy and rights of workers. Yet in today’s workplaces, that privacy is under increasing threat. Employers are using surveillance to monitor, control, and exploit workers in ways that many may not even be aware of.
Historically, companies have sought to monitor workers to maximise productivity. Today’s surveillance tools now track everything from keystrokes to facial expressions, and even how long workers spend on toilet breaks.
This surveillance isn’t limited to offices or warehouses. With the rise of remote work, companies are increasingly using monitoring software in home offices, blurring the boundaries between professional and personal life. For gig workers, such as delivery drivers and content creators, the surveillance is even more intense, with constant tracking, ratings systems and algorithmic controls that can affect their income, their ability to work and their lives in general.
These systems are opaque and often unchallengeable. Algorithmic decision making is now used to assign shifts, reduce pay or suspend accounts without explanation. Workers are judged by data points they can’t see and decisions they can’t appeal, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination.
Privacy at work isn’t a luxury. It’s a right. It’s what allows people to do their jobs without fear of being constantly watched, unfairly judged or unjustly punished.
Privacy matters.