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Government United States

White House To Study Employer Tools That Monitor Workers (reuters.com) 24

The Biden administration plans to study companies' use of technology to monitor and manage workers, which it said on Monday is becoming increasingly common and can cause "serious risks to workers." From a report: The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, in a blog post, sought comments from employees about their experience with surveillance technology, and asked employers and software vendors how they develop and use them. "While these technologies can benefit both workers and employers in some cases, they can also create serious risks to workers," the OSTP said.

"Monitoring conversations can deter workers from exercising their rights to organize and collectively bargain with their employers. And, when paired with employer decisions about pay, discipline, and promotion, automated surveillance can lead to workers being treated differently or discriminated against."

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White House To Study Employer Tools That Monitor Workers

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  • Interesting Indeed (Score:5, Insightful)

    by NFN_NLN ( 633283 ) on Monday May 01, 2023 @02:44PM (#63489404)

    Funny how they acknowledge:

    "Monitoring conversations can deter workers from exercising their rights to organize and collectively bargain with their employers."

    But disregard:

    "Monitoring conversations can deter citizens from exercising their rights to organize and collectively bargain with the government."

    When it comes to spying on their own citizens. At least they're admitting the effectiveness of spying.

    • The people who created this govt, the "founders" were weary to give the federal govt unlimited power. So they made the Constitution and Bill of Rights to limit its immense power. Indeed, for every action the federal govt takes, we should be able to point to a portion of the Constitution that says it can do such action. These make up its enumerated powers.
      Can someone point me to where in the Constitution it says that the executive branch can regulate software? Software has been found to be protected under fr

  • more workers need to go union & track me on the clock only and if you want to be track me off the clock then you better be paying OT for that.

  • by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Monday May 01, 2023 @03:25PM (#63489480)
    is kinda nice for a change. It'd be nice to keep it going. I think 2024 that'll happen, but 2028 will be a challenge. Still, there's a lot of changes coming in the next 6 years.
  • Isn't basically everyone in the White House under constant surveillance? Cameras everywhere, etc.?
    • Well for the White House it's primarily a security issue and rightly so but also being a government building there are laws about what and how that can be collected, how it's stored, what it can be used for, etc, things that are lacking from a private entity.

      Now for a long time almost all businesses have had some degree to video surveillance for security, theft, liability etc and that was fine because as employees they are just under the umbrella. Now with the tools turned to specifically monitor employee c

      • by msauve ( 701917 )
        It's hypocritical. You act as if private businesses don't have legitimate security and business concerns, such as the leaking sensitive, proprietary information, or monitoring for acceptable use of company resources. Why should businesses allow use of company resources to conduct personal business, including labor organizing? Fact is, they don't have to. If they don't allow personal communications on company time/resources, they don't have to allow union organizing communications, either.
        • Except they do by law and also because labor organizing is sort of the opposite of "personal business". If you don't like the law well that's a different thing with a different solution.

          Also I never said businesses don't have legitimate use surveillance, in fact that's pretty much exactly what I did say but that doesn't mean they could use them for what we deem illegitimate either.

          • by msauve ( 701917 )
            You're full of shit, and the NLRB agrees [nlrb.gov]:

            Working time is for work, so your employer may maintain and enforce non-discriminatory rules limiting solicitation and distribution...

  • by Impy the Impiuos Imp ( 442658 ) on Monday May 01, 2023 @04:01PM (#63489572) Journal

    "Monitoring conversations can deter workers from exercising their rights to organize and collectively bargain with their employers. And, when paired with employer decisions about pay, discipline, and promotion, automated surveillance can lead to workers being treated differently or discriminated against."

    Yes, that's the greatest danger from gigantic corporations and surveillance.

  • by MindPrison ( 864299 ) on Monday May 01, 2023 @04:27PM (#63489656) Journal

    ...they are preparing for the ultimate citizen monitoring project - Chat Control.

    It goes under the usual disguise "won't anyone think of the children" - and it's getting passed in various countries, meanin every ISP have to store ALL data at ALL times to be monitored for suspicious talks amongst everyone. Not only that - they're also planning for the gov. (police and authorities) to not need any court permissions to listen in on anyone for any reason (no reasons needed, don't need to be a suspect anymore).

    • ...they are preparing for the ultimate citizen monitoring project - Chat Control.

      It goes under the usual disguise "won't anyone think of the children" - and it's getting passed in various countries...

      We're well beyond mocking the mere irony of this justification. Better to now attack the destructive hypocrisy delivered under the guise of "the children".

      Mind explaining how the children can even act like children anymore when governments are too busy treating them like criminals from fucking birth, being raised in a literal surveillance state? Does anyone creating laws like this for "the children" even understand the environment that is ultimately creating?

      The level of ingrained mistrust is bad enough w

  • by biggaijin ( 126513 ) on Monday May 01, 2023 @07:05PM (#63490028)

    The Biden Administration is concerned about this monitoring because it may inhibit the unionization of some enterprises, not because the privacy of citizens is being invaded. The unions, who represent fewer and fewer Americans every year, still have a lot of money for politicians.

  • ...it would have monitored Hillary Clinton and saw she had been using her private server for "work" emails and such well ahead of time.
    • Hillary?... not Ivanka, Jared, Pompeo, Nikki Haley, Betsy DeVos, David Shulkin, Peter O’Rourke, K.T. McFarland, Kelly Craft, John Gore, etc.? ... go back to facebook where there are sill some russian bot accounts that will "like" your comment.
  • by bubblyceiling ( 7940768 ) on Monday May 01, 2023 @08:30PM (#63490194)
    Glad this topic is getting some attention.

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