A new lawsuit filed against Apple claims the tech giant secretly monitors employees' personal devices while publicly promoting user privacy protections. The legal action, filed Sunday in California state court, brings serious allegations about Apple's surveillance practices into the spotlight.
Apple employee Amar Bhakta, who leads a team working on advertising technologies, claims the company conducts extensive monitoring of workers through physical, video, and electronic surveillance - even after they depart the company. The lawsuit alleges this surveillance extends to employees' personal devices and iCloud accounts.
According to court documents, Apple provides company hardware and work-specific iCloud accounts but actively pushes employees to use their personal accounts instead. This practice potentially gives Apple access to workers' non-work activities and personal data.
The lawsuit also claims Apple attempted to restrict Bhakta from speaking publicly about digital advertising and required him to modify his LinkedIn profile to remove details about his role at the company.
Bhakta is represented by experienced employment attorneys Jahan Saga and Chris Baker, with Baker previously handling the notable discrimination case against Uber brought by Susan Fowler.
While the allegations raise concerns about employee privacy, some observers note potential weaknesses in the case. Critics point out that employees could protect their privacy by using work-only accounts, and evidence of Apple monitoring personal activities remains unproven.
The case highlights growing tensions between corporate surveillance and employee privacy rights, particularly as remote work becomes more common. Apple has yet to respond publicly to the allegations.