Apple faces new lawsuit over alleged surveillance and restrictions on employee speech

Apple is facing fresh legal challenges, with a new lawsuit accusing the company of illegally monitoring its employees' personal devices and restricting their ability to discuss workplace issues, according to reports.

Filed in California state court on Sunday, the lawsuit alleges that the tech giant requires its employees to install monitoring software on their personal devices. This software allegedly gives Apple access to sensitive personal data, including emails, photo libraries, health data, and "smart home" information.

The lawsuit, brought by Amar Bhakta, a digital advertising employee who has worked at Apple since 2020, also claims that the company enforces strict confidentiality policies.

These policies, Bhakta asserts, prevent employees from speaking out about their working conditions, both in public forums and with the media, and stifle legally-protected whistleblowing.

Bhakta said in a report, where he was reportedly instructed to remove references to his work and concerns from his LinkedIn profile and was prohibited from discussing his job on podcasts.

Apple has responded to the lawsuit, dismissing the claims as lacking merit. The company emphasized its commitment to employee rights, noting that workers are annually trained on their right to discuss working conditions.

Bhakta’s legal team also represents two women who filed a lawsuit in June, accusing Apple of systematically underpaying female employees in engineering, marketing, and AppleCare divisions.

Apple has asserted its dedication to inclusion and pay equity, although the company has faced ongoing scrutiny over pay disparities.

In addition to these lawsuits, Apple is dealing with at least three complaints filed with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board. These complaints accuse Apple of unlawfully preventing employees from discussing issues like sex bias and pay discrimination through workplace channels, including social media and the internal messaging app Slack. The company has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

The new lawsuit was filed under a unique California law that allows employees to sue on behalf of the state and retain 35% of any penalties recovered.