Apple accused of silencing employees and spying on personal devices

Apple has been accused in a new lawsuit of illegally monitoring its employees’ personal devices and iCloud accounts, while also banning them from discussing their pay and working conditions.

The complaint filed Sunday in California state court by Amar Bhakta, who works in digital advertising for Apple, alleges that the company requires employees to install software on personal devices they use for work, giving Apple access to their email, photo libraries, health and “smart home” data and other personal information.

At the same time, the lawsuit alleges that Apple imposes a confidentiality policy that prohibits employees from discussing working conditions, including with the media, and from engaging in legally protected whistleblowing.

Bhakta, who has worked for Apple since 2020, says he was not allowed to talk about his work on podcasts and was ordered to remove information about his working conditions from his LinkedIn profile.

“Apple’s surveillance policies and practices unlawfully restrict employee whistleblowing, competition, employees’ freedom of movement in the employment market, and freedom of speech,” the lawsuit said.

Apple said in a statement released by a spokesperson that the claims in the lawsuit are baseless and that employees are trained annually on their rights to discuss their working conditions.

“At Apple, we are focused on creating the best products and services in the world and working to protect the inventions our teams create for customers,” the company said.

Attorneys for Bhakta also represent two women who filed a lawsuit in June accusing Apple of systematically underpaying female workers in its engineering, marketing and AppleCare divisions. Apple has said it is committed to inclusivity and equal pay.

Apple also faces at least three complaints from a U.S. labor board that alleges it illegally discouraged employees from discussing issues such as gender bias and pay discrimination with each other and the media, including through their use of social media and the messaging app Slack on limit the workplace. The company has denied wrongdoing.

The new lawsuit was filed under a unique California law that allows workers to sue their employers on behalf of the state and keep 35% of recovered fines.

© Thomson Reuters 2024