Apple accused of silencing workers

3/12/2024 5:56

        Apple has been accused in a
        new lawsuit of illegally monitoring its workers' personal
        devices and iCloud accounts while also barring them from
        discussing their pay and working conditions.
        
        The complaint filed in California state court on Sunday by
        Amar Bhakta, who works in digital advertising for Apple, claims
        the company requires employees to install software on personal
        devices that they use for work allowing Apple to access their
        email, photo libraries, health and "smart home" data and other
        personal information.
        
        At the same time, the lawsuit alleges, Apple imposes
        confidentiality policies that prohibit employees from discussing
        working conditions, including with the media, and engaging in
        legally-protected whistleblowing.
        
        Bhakta, who has worked for Apple since 2020, says he was
        barred from talking about his work on podcasts and instructed to
        remove information about his working conditions from his
        LinkedIn profile.
        
        "Apple's surveillance policies and practices chill, and thus
        also unlawfully restrain, employee whistleblowing, competition,
        freedom of employee movement in the job market, and freedom of
        speech," the lawsuit said.
        
        Apple in a statement provided by a spokesperson said the
        claims in the lawsuit lack merit and that its workers are
        trained annually on their rights to discuss their working
        conditions.
        
        “At Apple, we're focused on creating the best products and
        services in the world and we work to protect the inventions our
        teams create for customers," the company said.
        
        Lawyers 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 inclusion and pay
        equity.
        
        Apple is also facing at least three complaints from a U.S.
        labor board claiming it has illegally deterred employees from
        discussing issues such as sex bias and pay discrimination with
        each other and the media, including by restricting their use of
        social media and workplace messaging app Slack. 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 any penalties that are recovered.