Tracking in the office

How technology is making employees ever more transparent

Companies have a legitimate interest in recording the attendance and productivity of their employees. Modern tracking technologies support them in this. However, a study from Vienna warns of the potential for misuse of this worrying trend.

"As offices, buildings and other corporate facilities become connected environments, there is a growing desire among employers to use the data collected from their existing digital infrastructure or additional sensors for various purposes," says the recently published study entitled "Tracking Indoor Location, Movement and Desk Occupancy in the Workplace", which examines how motion sensors and wireless network technology are used in buildings. "Whether intentionally or as a byproduct, this includes personal data about employees, their movements and their behavior."

Cause for concern
The study was carried out by Cracked Labs, a non-profit organization based in Vienna, as part of the "Surveillance and Digital Control at Work" project funded by the Chamber of Labour. With the support of AlgorithmWatch, Jeremias Prassl (Oxford), UNI Europa and the Global Privacy Alliance, the project is investigating how companies in Europe handle personal data. The results are a cause for concern.