Dr Adam Molnar

Understanding of the Risks and Regulation of Employee Monitoring Applications in the United Kingdom

Employee monitoring through powerful apps, which monitor GPS location, browser usage, and other real-time device activities, takes on new meaning as the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend toward remote working. A greater number of businesses are now seeking ‘off-the-shelf’ software applications to monitor and manage remote workforces to 'enhance productivity' and minimize risks to cybersecurity. However, as homes have become offices, and laptops and smartphones are used for business, school, and entertainment, the increasing surveillance of 'remote workplaces,' complicates boundaries between work and personal spaces and raises acute privacy and cybersecurity risks.

Drawing on novel data sets derived from computer science, law, and sociology, this project provides a legal and regulatory dissection of workplace surveillance, and clarifies whether the United Kingdom's legal and regulatory approaches adequately protect individuals' privacy, security, and the separation of their personal and professional lives from employer surveillance in the remote work era.