What is the main topic?

The article discusses a lawsuit against Apple for allegedly monitoring employee devices and silencing discussions on pay and conditions.

What are the allegations against Apple?

Apple is accused of monitoring personal devices and restricting discussions on pay and working conditions.

Editorial & Advertiser disclosure

Global Banking & Finance Review® is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.

Home > Finance > Apple accused of silencing workers, spying on personal devices

Finance

Apple accused of silencing workers, spying on personal devices

Q: What law is the lawsuit filed under?

The lawsuit is filed under a unique California law that allows workers to sue on behalf of the state.

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®

Posted on December 3, 2024

2 min read

Last updated: January 28, 2026

Apple Sued for Alleged Worker Surveillance and Silencing

By Daniel Wiessner

(Reuters) - Apple has been accused in a new lawsuit of illegally monitoring its workers' personal devices and iCloud accounts while also barring them from discussing their pay and working conditions.

The complaint filed in California state court on Sunday by Amar Bhakta, who works in digital advertising for Apple, claims the company requires employees to install software on personal devices that they use for work allowing Apple to access their email, photo libraries, health and "smart home" data and other personal information.

At the same time, the lawsuit alleges, Apple imposes confidentiality policies that prohibit employees from discussing working conditions, including with the media, and engaging in legally-protected whistleblowing.

Bhakta, who has worked for Apple since 2020, says he was barred from talking about his work on podcasts and instructed to remove information about his working conditions from his LinkedIn profile.

"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," the lawsuit said.

Apple in a statement provided by a spokesperson said the claims in the lawsuit lack merit and that its workers are trained annually on their rights to discuss their working conditions.

“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," the company said.

Lawyers for 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 said it is committed to inclusion and pay equity.

Apple is also facing at least three complaints from a U.S. labor board claiming it has illegally deterred employees from discussing issues such as sex bias and pay discrimination with each other and the media, including by restricting their use of social media and workplace messaging app Slack. The company has denied wrongdoing.

The new lawsuit was filed under a unique California law that allows workers to sue their employers on behalf of the state and keep 35% of any penalties that are recovered.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot)

Apple accused of silencing workers, spying on personal devices

Quick Summary

Apple Sued for Alleged Worker Surveillance and Silencing

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions about Apple accused of silencing workers, spying on personal devices