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European Citizens´ Initiative Forum

Ethical protection against surveillance

Author: Dawid Jóźwiak |
Updated on: 10 December 2024 |
Number of views: 88

Hello,

As I've checked, there's currently no initiative against extensive Surveillance performed by some corporations in the European Union. I propose an initiative to introduce some of the following:

- Ensure employee and contractor rights against unwarranted, extensive surveillance,

- Maximise personal privacy to ensure work-life balance in all forms of work (office, hybrid, remote),

- Reduce intrusion of business elements into private life of individuals.

As of today, this is not respected in many cases. I've stumbled upon one of more interesting cases, where the employer enrolls spyware on employee laptops to monitor screen time activity, keyboard activity, amount of clicks and keystrokes per minute, amount of 'unproductive time', time spent on each action, time spent idling, and more.
These bits of data are then fed to the Big Data, which then results in 'non-performing' employees being faced with consequences at their work.

In my opinion, this is unethical and akin to a modern version of 'slavery' with large amount of invigilation.

As I do not have the necessary people to create this initiative, feel free to reach out to me to create it (whether as participant, or organiser).

Thank you for reading.

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Comments

ECI Forum Team | 10 January 2025

Hi Dawid,

Thank you for sharing your idea!

If you're looking to connect with others who might be interested in developing this European Citizens Initiative, we recommend using the ECI Forum's Connect function. It’s a great way to find and reach out to other registered users who share similar interests. You might find potential signatories or organisers who can help bring this initiative to life!

Kind regards,

The ECI Forum Team


 

ECI Forum User | 15 January 2025

This topic is really thought-provoking. Such intense surveillance in workplaces feels very unsettling to me too. Tracking keystrokes, screen time, and even measuring "unproductive time" seems to put people under constant pressure. Especially in models like remote work, where the line between work and personal life is already blurred, adding this kind of monitoring is unacceptable. The steps you’re proposing make a lot of sense to me. Protecting employees' privacy and ensuring work-life balance have become necessities now. Whether such practices are ethical or not needs to be seriously questioned. I hope more people take action on this issue and those who think like you come together. If any steps are taken in this direction, I’d like to support as much as I can. Thanks for bringing this up!

George Breban | 05 February 2025

I'll gladly be one of your 7