Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) is facing a new lawsuit accusing the tech giant of illegally monitoring employees’ personal devices and restricting their ability to speak out about pay disparities and working conditions. The complaint, filed in California state court on Sunday by Amar Bhakta, a digital advertising employee at Apple, claims that the company requires workers to install software on their personal devices, enabling Apple to access private data such as emails, photos, health information, and even smart home details.
According to the lawsuit, Apple not only invades the privacy of its workers but also enforces strict confidentiality policies that prevent them from discussing their pay or working conditions. The complaint alleges that employees are discouraged from whistleblowing or speaking out publicly, including through media channels, about potential workplace issues.
Bhakta, who has been employed by Apple since 2020, says that he was explicitly instructed to remove any mentions of his working conditions from his LinkedIn profile and was barred from discussing his work on podcasts. “Apple’s surveillance policies and practices chill, and thus unlawfully restrain, employee whistleblowing, competition, freedom of movement in the job market, and freedom of speech,” the lawsuit states.
In response, Apple issued a statement dismissing the claims in the lawsuit, stating that they lack merit. The company emphasized that employees are annually trained on their rights to discuss workplace 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.
Bhakta’s legal team, which previously represented two women in a lawsuit against Apple for underpaying female workers, claims that the company has a pattern of disregarding worker rights. In June, Apple faced allegations of systemic gender-based pay discrimination in its engineering, marketing, and AppleCare divisions. The company has consistently denied these claims, asserting its commitment to inclusion and pay equity.
In addition to Bhakta’s lawsuit, Apple is currently facing multiple complaints filed with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regarding claims that the company unlawfully restricted workers from discussing issues like pay discrimination and sex bias. Allegedly, Apple has used restrictions on social media and internal communication platforms, such as Slack, to prevent employees from raising concerns publicly.
The lawsuit filed by Bhakta is notable for being brought under a unique California law, which allows workers to file legal actions on behalf of the state and retain 35% of any penalties that are recovered. This provision enables employees to act as whistleblowers in cases of potential widespread corporate misconduct.
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