Apple Accused Of Spying On Employee In New Lawsuit

(RTTNews) - Tech giant Apple Inc. (AAPL) is facing allegations of spying on its employees' personal devices and iCloud accounts.

A new lawsuit, filed by Apple employee Amar Bhakta, accuses the company of monitoring its workers and restricting their ability to discuss pay and working conditions.

The lawsuit, submitted on Sunday in California state court, alleges that Apple requires employees to relinquish their right to personal privacy.

The complaint further claims that Apple mandates employees to install software on their personal devices used for work purposes. This software allegedly grants Apple access to personal information, including emails, photo libraries, health data, and "smart home" details.

These requirements are part of a broader set of employment policies that, according to the lawsuit, violate California law.

"Apple's surveillance policies and practices chill, and thus unlawfully restrain, employee whistleblowing, competition, freedom of employee movement in the job market, and freedom of speech," the lawsuit states.

Apple, responding to the allegations, has denied the claims. In a statement, according to Reuters, the company said the lawsuit's accusations are without merit and emphasized that employees receive annual training on their rights to discuss 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.

Bhakta is represented by attorneys Chris Baker of Baker Dolinko & Schwartz and Jahan Sagafi of Outten & Golden. Baker has previously filed several high-profile lawsuits against major technology firms over alleged illegal employment practices.