Page 1 GAO-24-107639 Digital Surveillance of Workers
A range of digital surveillance tools have been developed, and employers across
various industries are increasingly using them to monitor their workers. Although
digital surveillance tools can provide employers with information to help improve
their operations, some worker advocates are concerned that these tools can be
used in ways that negatively affect workers. We were asked to examine the kinds
of digital surveillance tools employers use and how such surveillance affects
workers.
This report summarizes 217 public comments submitted to the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for information regarding use
of automated digital surveillance tools to monitor workers and the effects of such
surveillance on workers. Stakeholders submitted these comments from May to
June 2023. We identified 211 stakeholders who submitted comments: 91
workers, 19 advocacy organizations, 16 researchers and research organizations,
12 unions, 10 trade associations, eight technology developers, one coalition
comprised of advocacy organizations and a union, and 54 unspecified
stakeholders.
These stakeholders submitted comments regarding various topics such as
worker productivity, privacy, and safety.
• The digital surveillance tools most frequently mentioned by stakeholders that
employers use include cameras and microphones, computer monitoring
software, geolocation, tracking applications, and devices worn by workers
(wearables).
• Employers use digital tools to monitor (1) productivity and efficiency, (2)
worker performance, (3) safety and health, and (4) workplace security.
• Stakeholders’ views differed regarding the effects of digital surveillance on
worker productivity and worker well-being.
• Workers and stakeholders from unions commented that digital surveillance
may discourage workers from unionizing, make workers feel distrusted by
their employers, and decrease workplace morale.
• Privacy was the most frequently raised concern by stakeholders and the
potential for discrimination or bias was also a frequently raised concern.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Digital Surveillance of Workers: Tools, Uses,
and Stakeholder Perspectives
-24-107639
Report to Congressional Requesters
, 2024
