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• Apple is facing a lawsuit over alleged illicit surveillance of employees' personal devices and iCloud accounts.
• The lawsuit also accuses Apple of suppressing discussions about pay and working conditions.
• Apple has denied the allegations, stating that employees are trained annually on their rights to discuss working conditions.
• The lawsuit raises questions about the balance between protecting intellectual property and respecting employees' privacy and freedom of speech.

In a recent development, tech giant Apple has been hit with a lawsuit accusing the company of illicitly monitoring its employees' personal devices and iCloud accounts. The lawsuit also alleges that the company has been suppressing discussions about pay and working conditions among its employees. The lawsuit was filed in a California state court by Amar Bhakta, an employee in Apple's digital advertising department. Bhakta alleges that Apple mandates its employees to install specific software on their personal devices used for work. This software, according to the lawsuit, allows Apple to access a wide range of personal information, including emails, photo libraries, health data, and smart home information.

The lawsuit further alleges that Apple has imposed confidentiality policies that prohibit employees from discussing their working conditions, even with the media. This restriction extends to legally protected whistleblowing activities. Bhakta, who has been with Apple since 2020, claims that he was barred from discussing his work on podcasts and was instructed to remove information about his working conditions from his LinkedIn profile.

Allegations and Apple's Response

The lawsuit states, Apple's surveillance policies and practices chill, and thus also unlawfully restrain, employee whistleblowing, competition, freedom of employee movement in the job market, and freedom of speech. In response to these allegations, Apple has issued a statement denying the claims. The company asserts that the lawsuit lacks merit and that its employees are trained annually on their rights to discuss their working conditions. The statement reads, 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.

This lawsuit is not the first time Apple has faced legal challenges related to its treatment of employees. Lawyers representing Bhakta also represent two women who filed a lawsuit in June accusing Apple of systematically underpaying female workers in its engineering, marketing, and AppleCare divisions. Apple has maintained that it is committed to inclusion and pay equity.

Previous Legal Challenges and Potential Implications

Furthermore, Apple is currently facing at least three complaints from a U.S. labor board. These complaints allege that Apple has illegally deterred employees from discussing issues such as sex bias and pay discrimination with each other and the media. This includes restrictions on their use of social media and workplace messaging app Slack. Apple has denied any wrongdoing in these cases as well.

The current lawsuit against Apple was filed under a unique California law that allows workers to sue their employers on behalf of the state. If the lawsuit is successful, the employees could keep 35% of any penalties that are recovered. This case is reminiscent of similar instances in the past where tech companies have been accused of overstepping boundaries in monitoring their employees. For instance, in 2016, a former employee sued Facebook, alleging that the company's content moderators were subjected to psychological trauma without adequate support from the company.