(36) Daily Telegraph to withdraw devices monitoring time at desk after criticism

Link: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jan/11/daily-telegraph-to-withdraw-devices-monitoring-time-at-desk-after-criticism

 

 

Summary:

 

The Daily Telegraph has announced that it is withdrawing devices installed to monitor whether people are at their desks, after it was heavily criticised by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) for carrying out “surveillance” on its staff. Journalists at the newspaper’s London HQ arrived on Monday morning to find the boxes, which reportedly track whether someone is at their desk using heat and motion sensors, BuzzFeed reported. Workers have very strong privacy rights and these must be protected. The right to be consulted on new procedures governing such data is enshrined in law. The NUJ will resist Big Brother-style surveillance in the newsroom.

Key data/statistical information:

• Telegraph management emailed staff at lunchtime, saying the monitors would be in place for 4 weeks to help plan measures to improve energy efficiency.
• Accordingly, the devices are designed to record occupancy across each 24-hour cycle for all seven days of the week to make sure we are making best use of our space in the building.

What's my view?

I agree with the point made about workers having privacy rights and that they should be protected. Sometimes those in power tend to think that they can overlook such things therefore such rights should be spoken about more so as to raise awareness and allow people to know their rights when it comes to their privacy whether in companies or on-line.