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A US survey of 300 large, medium and small-sized businesses in a wide range of industries found that an estimated 20 million Americans may be subject to electronic monitoring on the job, not including telephone monitoring. Anyone using a telephone at work is potentially subject to monitoring.
More than 20 per cent of the companies said they "engaged in searches of employee computer files, voice mail, electronic mail or other networking communications." The vast majority of these companies search electronic work files, with just more than 40 per cent searching E-mail, 28 per cent network mail, and 15 per cent voice mail.
One US survey suggests that as many as 80 per cent of employees in telecommunications, insurance and banking are subject to telephone or computer-based monitoring.
Japan is also experiencing an increase in surveillance by cameras in factories and shops, although no specific statistics are available. "The surveillance is aimed mainly at ensuring safety and health in the workplace and quality of service", the ILO report says. "Quality of service means, however, that individual performance may be subject to scrutiny."
It doesn't matter whether you work in a factory, in an office or as a highly paid engineer or professional--you are very likely under observation, with or without your permission, in some way by computers or machines controlled by your boss.
The move to increase international privacy protection is gaining ground. Workplace abuses in Italy, Norway and Sweden led to special restrictions on video and audio surveillance of workers. In Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, the use of technical devices to monitor employee behaviour and performances requires prior agreement or consultation. In France, concerns over company inquiries during recruitment led to strengthening of the labour code to protect a job candidate's right to privacy. "Workers' rights to privacy should be treated as a fundamental human rights issue, but the new technology can pose...