What is the most egregious invasion of privacy you have experienced from your employer?
Given the numerous WAN Show topics about privacy I thought this would be a good place for discussion. What is the most egregious invasion of privacy you experienced from your employer?
My GF was leaving for work this morning and told me about a new company policy that if any work is done on her personal phone then her phone has to have company installed spyware on it. The company says it is so they can recover documents in the event you are terminated or quit. I told her that is a major invasion of privacy and they should provide her a company phone if this is a problem for them. She knows the company can't afford this so essentially she has two choices, install the spyware or be less efficient. I asked her "When people ask you to do something at work (and it's not part of your job) you always need to ask yourself what is in it for you. So what is in this deal for you?" her response baffled me. "It makes me a better worker to be able to use my phone". I then explained how this was not a benefit for her and rather a benefit for her employer and that if this policy makes the company less efficient that is a management problem. After I agreed that the reason they are asking for the spyware to be installed isn't a problem per se, I pointed out the real problem is that the spyware would also give them access to all the other personal info on the phone, including my texts to her. I own a company that has a business relationship with her employer and I told her that I won't feel comfortable texting her on a phone with spyware as her company having access to our texts could affect future negotiations. She agreed not to install it, but admitted she would have if I didn't talk to her.
It baffles me that people want to impress their bosses so badly they are willing to be spied on. Is this a product of people not giving two craps about their personal data or just a product of living in a world where employees feel replaceable?