Employers are deploying increasingly sophisticated employee monitoring tools, from keystroke loggers and screen capture software to location tracking and productivity scoring algorithms. Current labor and privacy laws in most states provide limited protection against these practices.
Civil rights organizations argue that pervasive workplace surveillance disproportionately affects lower-wage workers who have less bargaining power to resist monitoring. Several states are considering legislation that would require employers to disclose monitoring practices and limit data collection.
Employment attorneys advise workers to review their company's technology use policies carefully and understand what data is being collected about their work activities.
