this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2025
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Privacy

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73
Tracking apps monitor remote employees’ performance — and invade their privacy (theconversation.com)
submitted 2 days ago by Pro@programming.dev to c/privacy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 17 points 2 days ago (3 children)

When you're at work and using work devices, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy. Just because you take the laptop home doesn't make it suddenly your personal device. It makes it a liability to you.

Never ever log in to a personal account for anything at work, because you shouldn't trust your work with your privacy. If you do, you should just know you need to immediately change your password because it's now on a cleartext log file somewhere where many humans can read it. Consider it compromised.

[–] ComradePedro@lemmy.ml 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's the best practice to always assume work devices are compromised, but it doesn't mean this is right. This is dystopian

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I don't mean compromised, I mean your IT manager has an acceptable use policy, which all staff agree to in writing, and the IT folks have to pass audits that say they can assure management they know what happens in the company network.

I agree that keyloggers are dystopian, and honestly overkill unless you are paranoid about proprietary data. But you should follow the same philosophy as your network architecture: Zero Trust.

[–] ReversalHatchery@beehaw.org 5 points 2 days ago

if it is recording its environment like with mic and cam then yes it is pretty much compromised.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

When you're at work and using work devices, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy.

Trust between employers and employees can't happen if one is spying on the other.

Privacy should be protected by law, especially voyeuristic shit like monitoring someone's WFH camera or microphone.

Companies need to use better metrics for measuring performance that make sense, and very little of what they collect through this spyware makes sense.

If the effort and resources spent on spying were put into training, tools to help employees succed, and fair pay, these businesses would be much better off.

The reality is, they are using this monitoring tech to find any reason to terminate an employee without paying severance. Unethical means to an unethical end.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 1 points 1 day ago

With a company device, all liability for your actions fall on the company.

I don't like the idea of monitoring, but since they hold that liability, it's understandable.

[–] hansolo@lemmy.today 2 points 2 days ago

Even under the GDPR, an employer can monitor you camera, mic, and keystrokes of they really want on a work device.

Seriously, no one is entitled to unlimited personal use, and explicit trust, of a work device. It's a work-owned device, it's not your shit! This isn't hard. They give you the same "click/sign here" for a use policy that any social media site gives you (900 pages shorter). No one should be upset by this unless they are already behind the curve in general, or are pushing fake outrage.

[–] ReversalHatchery@beehaw.org 1 points 2 days ago

When you're at work and using work devices, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy.

oh I very well do! of course I won't be logging in there to my password manager, and won't be gaming on it.
browser history I can understand, events related to portable storage devices, maybe even any file activity, but I expect them to very specifically not record sounds nor video from my environment and to not analyze my keypresses.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 days ago

Common features include tracking time, keyboard strokes, email communications, websites visited, applications used and webcam video footage.

None of which are a measure of productivity or work completed.

Companies who employ spyware aren't doing it for their business's benefit.

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Keep that shit in Faraday bag when not in use

Cover the camera, disable microphone

That's about all you can do about it

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago

I just shut down my work laptop. It's not connected to my wifi at any given time. What are they gonna do without a network connection? Doesn't even have a SIM card.