Apple accused of snooping on workers’ iPhones in new lawsuit

By Emma Roth , a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

An Apple worker is suing the company over claims it requires employees to waive their right to privacy and subjects them to surveillance, as first reported by Semafor. In a lawsuit filed on Monday, Apple employee Amar Bhakta accuses Apple of accessing employee data through company-managed devices — including personal iPhones it “actively encourages” workers to use.

Though Apple gives employees the option to use an Apple-owned device for work, the lawsuit says Apple pushes users to bring their own iPhones to work, where they’re managed by Apple’s internal software. Under company policy, the data linked to these Apple-managed devices, including emails, photos, videos, notes, and other information, are “subject to search by Apple,” according to the lawsuit. Bhakta claims workers using their personal devices must link their personal iCloud accounts to the company as well, allegedly allowing Apple to collect an employee’s location data and other information while they’re outside of work.

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Apple breaks California law by requiring employees to agree to a policy that allows it to “engage in physical, video, and electronic surveillance” of them, as well as gives it the ability to search Apple and non-Apple devices on “company premises,” which, in some instances, could allegedly involve a worker’s home office.

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