A current Apple employee has filed a lawsuit against the tech giant, accusing the company of using invasive surveillance tactics on its workers’ personal devices. The Apple lawsuit, filed on Sunday evening in California state court, puts allegations that Apple monitors employees’ private iCloud accounts and non-work-related devices without their consent.
The plaintiff, Amar Bhakta, has been employed by Apple in the advertising technology sector since 2020. Bhakta claims that Apple’s policies force employees to surrender their privacy rights, enabling the company to conduct “physical, video, and electronic surveillance” of workers not just during their working hours, but also when they are off-duty and even after they leave the company. The suit alleges that these practices violate California’s strict privacy laws.
Bhakta’s legal action points to a broader issue regarding Apple’s employment practices, accusing the company of creating policies that infringe on the personal privacy of its employees. The suit outlines a range of policies that allegedly place Apple employees under constant scrutiny, both on and off the job.
The Apple Lawsuit: Invasive Surveillance Tactics
According to the Apple lawsuit, the tech giant has established policies that force employees to integrate their work and personal lives digitally in ways that allow the company to monitor their actions beyond the workplace. One of the central issues raised in the lawsuit is Apple’s requirement that employees use Apple-made devices for work purposes. This stipulation, the suit argues, often results in workers using their personal Apple devices, which are connected to their personal iCloud accounts.
According to Semafor, the lawsuit further claims that by using their own devices for work, employees unknowingly grant Apple the ability to access virtually any data on those devices. This includes emails, photos, videos, and other personal information. Apple’s internal privacy policy allegedly states that if an employee uses their personal iCloud account on an Apple-managed device, the company can search and access any data stored on that device, including real-time location data.
This level of access has raised concerns among former Apple employees, who have previously complained about the company’s ability to monitor personal information.
Apple’s Response and Legal Representation
In response to the Apple lawsuit, the firm has strongly denied the allegations, insisting that the company upholds its employees’ rights to privacy. 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,” the company said in a statement.
Bhakta is represented by Chris Baker of Baker Dolinko & Schwartz, alongside Jahan Sagafi from Outten & Golden. Both attorneys have experience in handling high-profile cases against large technology companies. Baker, in particular, has filed several lawsuits against tech giants concerning allegedly unlawful employment practices.
Impact on Employee Freedom and Privacy
The lawsuit against Apple also highlights the restrictive nature of the company’s policies regarding digital privacy. The suit claims that Apple actively discourages employees from maintaining separate work and personal iCloud accounts. Instead, employees are encouraged to use a single iCloud account that merges their work and personal lives, thereby granting Apple more access to their private information.
This digital integration, according to the lawsuit, creates an environment in which Apple can monitor employees’ personal activities even when they are off the clock. Employees are said to have limited options to avoid this surveillance, with the only alternative being to use a work-owned device and a separate iCloud account exclusively for work purposes. However, the suit asserts that Apple discourages this practice.
Legal Action Under California’s Labor Laws
Bhakta’s lawsuit was filed under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which permits employees to sue on behalf of the state for labor violations. If the court finds Apple guilty of violating state labor laws, the company could be subjected to penalties, which would be multiplied by the number of employees affected by the alleged surveillance.
This lawsuit against Apple highlights ongoing concerns over digital privacy in the workplace. As more employees find themselves bound by the company’s restrictive policies, the case has the potential to set a precedent for how tech companies handle employee surveillance and personal privacy. With the backing of California state law, Bhakta’s legal team aims to hold Apple accountable for any violations, especially if the company’s actions have impacted a large number of its employees.
