(Image source from: Business-standard.com)

A current Apple employee has accused the Cupertino tech giant of spying on employees on their personal devices, such as iPads and iPhones. The lawsuit filed on Sunday comes from Amar Bakhta, who has worked in Apple's digital advertising division since 2020. According to Bhakta, Apple requires employees to waive their right to privacy as a condition of employment. The lawsuit also claims that Apple employees must accept a policy that "subjects them to physical, video and electronic surveillance" even when they are at home. “For Apple employees, Apple's ecosystem is not a piece of cake. It's a prison yard where employees are exposed to Apple's opinions in and out of the workplace,” the suit says. The lawsuit alleges that Apple employees can only use Apple products at work. However, given Apple's restrictions on workplace devices, most employees use their personal devices, according to the lawsuit.

However, Apple's policy states that all data associated with employees' personal accounts, including emails, photos, videos, notes and more, is "subject to searches by Apple" when they use their personal devices. The lawsuit alleges that Apple restricts employees' free speech by preventing them from speaking out about working conditions and wages, and even limits their political activities. They believe that preventing Apple employees from discussing their work and Apple's business is detrimental to their employment prospects. According to Bhakta, Apple banned him from talking about his experience in digital advertising on podcasts and ordered him to remove some information about his work at Apple from his LinkedIn profile.