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| MrMobodies:
I found this article and thought working from home is one thing but requiring employees to be constantly monitored through everything they do and through a camera and then the home might as well be part of their workplace. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/26/missing-from-desk-ai-webcam-raises-remote-surveillance-concerns --- Quote ---'Missing from desk': AI webcam raises remote surveillance concerns System developed by French firm Teleperformance monitors home workers for ‘breaches’ Peter Walker @peterwalker99 Fri 26 Mar 2021 19.16 GMT For anyone concerned that an era of home working could also become one of remote surveillance, the training video for Teleperformance’s in-house webcam security system, called TP Observer, is the stuff of bad dreams. Explained by “Anna”, a desk-sitting avatar complete with an artificial voice, the video introduces TP Observer as “a risk-mitigation tool that monitors and tracks real time employee behaviour, and detects any violations to pre-set business rules”. Anna explains that this means home workers will have an AI-enabled webcam added to their computers that recognises their face, tags their location and scans for “breaches” of rules at random points during a shift. These include an “unknown person” detected at the desk via the facial recognition software, “missing from desk”, “detecting an idle user” and “unauthorised mobile phone usage”. Call centre staff to be monitored via webcam for home-working ‘infractions’ Anna says: “Any breach detected by the AI triggers a real-time alert to the supervisor for further actions.” This means a still photo is snapped and sent to a manager. The video includes a series of avatar-staff asking questions, including one who asks whether the system is “a breach of my privacy at home”. The manager tells him the scanning is needed to “help us with risk mitigation and data security, which is required by most of our customers”. Another digital employee asks if they will get into trouble if children or other family members approach their home workplace. Not “as long as the people in the background are not directly looking into the screen, or very close to it”. Anna replies. Staff should sit with a wall behind them “to avoid such breaches”, she says. Strong lights should be used for night shifts, so the camera can see properly. Teleperformance said the system would not be used for UK staff, but it is expected to be used in a number of 30-plus other countries where the French-based multinational operates and where labour laws are less strict. --- End quote --- Should companies who do this be paying the employees some kind of rent for the privilege of turning part of their house into their office? |
| JohnnyMalaria:
--- Quote from: MrMobodies on March 28, 2021, 11:46:27 pm ---Should companies who do this be paying the employees some kind of rent for the privilege of turning part of their house into their office? --- End quote --- No, you're already saving a buttload by not commuting. e.g., in my case it amounts to $6000 per year in savings not having to drive and a couple of $1000 more not having to use a cafeteria for lunch. And I get two hours more time to do non-work stuff because I'm not sat in a car. |
| MrMobodies:
--- Quote from: JohnnyMalaria on March 29, 2021, 01:20:45 am ---No, you're already saving a buttload by not commuting. e.g., in my case it amounts to $6000 per year in savings not having to drive and a couple of $1000 more not having to use a cafeteria for lunch. And I get two hours more time to do non-work stuff because I'm not sat in a car. --- End quote --- I see, the costs of cummuting are offset so this can be welcoming to those who have to travel a lot or have to face congestion. |
| PlainName:
--- Quote ---you're already saving a buttload by not commuting --- End quote --- But against that you are paying heating and electricity and broadband. --- Quote --- in my case it amounts to --- End quote --- In my case, one of my previous permie positions was 1.5 miles away, so I could walk if I wanted and get some exercise. Everyone is different. The company does have a good point about data privacy, but I note that none of my clients or employers has ever questioned where I am doing my off-prem stuff or whether someone might accidentally catch a glimpse of the screen. Same with my partner - she used to WFH for a multi-national, and is now WFH as self-employed. None of her clients have raised this issue, far less insisted they can monitor what she is doing or when. It is far more likely that this company just doesn't trust their employees not to skive off and think micro-managing them will achieve something. |
| Red Squirrel:
This AI stuff and predatory surveillance is really scary. I hate the fact that it's even legal. Unfortunately I think this sort of stuff is just going to become the norm. Especially in the states, they seem to be really obsessed with using technology against the people. Amazon drivers for example have an AI that monitors their every move, they are not even allowed to yawn. The big issue with this too is that AI is not always right, so you could be falsely doxed or fired over a mistake. We all know how well the Youtube AI is at determining if a video is inappropriate... They do some pretty crazy stuff to students in school too, if you lookup "proctoru" and "lockdown browser" you'll see a lot of articles on it. Basically a special software they are forced to install that monitors everything like their eye movement. They are not even allowed to look off screen and their every move is monitored. Imaging being tied to your computer for 8 hours straight and not being allowed to ever look away. This is abuse. Don't care what the school's or company's legal rights are (nobody being entitled to pricacy etc), it's still not ok to do this stuff in such a predatory manner. Nothing worse than knowing your every move is being watched, your entire job is basically walking on eggshells. Thankfully my company is decent that I don't think they'll ever do any stuff like this. I'm sure there's some monitoring going on like emails that get sent out, web usage habits , phone conversations etc, but that's not as invasive as 100% real time monitoring of every little move. I do enjoy working from home and feel that being in my own home is just an overall better environment. Can set temperature to what I want, have access to all my personal stuff like food etc, etc. Not having to clear snow off the car or defrost the windshield is a big plus too. My lunch break is also actually an hour instead of 45 minutes too as I don't need to drive home, I'm already home. They are hinting at maybe making working from home permanent for some departments, I don't think it will happen to mine since even in the pandemic they want at least one person in office, but maybe they will keep the hybrid approach too... Work from home is a slippery slope job security wise though. The minute a company actually realizes that stuff is being done efficiently without them requiring an office, then they also realize that the job can easily be outsourced overseas at 1/10th the cost. So like my union rep said, be careful what you wish for. Nice working from home but not if it compromises job security. |
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