'Subject to Apple's All-Seeing Eye': An Apple Manager Is Accusing the Tech Giant of Spying on Employees, According to a New Lawsuit The employee alleges that Apple can conduct physical, video, and electronic surveillance of employees, even when they're off the clock.

By Sherin Shibu Edited by Melissa Malamut

Key Takeaways

  • Apple employee Amar Bhakta sued the company he works for on Sunday, alleging the tech giant surveils employees even when not working.
  • The company can also collect and use personal data from employees, per the complaint.
  • Apple told Semafor that it disagrees with the accusations in the lawsuit.

An Apple employee sued the company on Sunday evening, alleging the tech giant surveils its workforce and spies on workers using data from personal accounts and devices.

First reported by Semafor, the 28-page lawsuit filed in California Superior Court details how the plaintiff, Amar Bhakta, began working as a Digital Ad Tech/Operations Manager for Apple in July 2020. According to Bhakta, working for Apple meant waiving his rights to privacy and autonomy.

"Apple requires the use of Apple devices, software, and services for work, including personal iCloud accounts," Bhakta's complaint reads.

Related: Apple Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over iCloud's Alleged 'Enormous Structural Advantage'

Regardless of whether Apple owns the device or account or if the employee opts to use their own iPhones or iCloud accounts, Apple allegedly collects and uses their personal data — even when the employee isn't working.

"Apple can engage in physical, video, and electronic surveillance," per Bhakta's complaint. It can also "search both Apple and non-Apple devices and other property," even if the employee is in a home office.

The complaint further calls Apple's ecosystem "a prison yard… where employees, both on and off duty, are ever subject to Apple's all-seeing eye."

Related: The U.S. Justice Department Is Suing Apple in a Groundbreaking iPhone Monopoly Lawsuit — Here's Why

Bhakta also accused Apple of suppressing speech by stopping him from talking about his work experiences on podcasts and telling him to remove information about his work on LinkedIn.

Apple told Semafor that it disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit and that "every employee has the right to discuss their wages, hours and working conditions and this is part of our business conduct policy, which all employees are trained on annually."

Personal privacy concerns have worried Apple employees for years. In 2021, The Verge reported that Apple asked employees to link their personal Apple IDs to their work accounts, causing personal files to end up on their work laptops.

Related: Apple Intelligence Is Finally Here. See What's Changing on Your iPhone and How to Download the New AI Features.
Sherin Shibu

BIZ Experiences Staff

News Reporter

Sherin Shibu is a business news reporter at BIZ Experiences.com. She previously worked for PCMag, Business Insider, The Messenger, and ZDNET as a reporter and copyeditor. Her areas of coverage encompass tech, business, strategy, finance, and even space. She is a Columbia University graduate.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Growing a Business

What Top Founders Know About Domains That Most BIZ Experiencess Miss

Top founders and VCs secure premium domains early to signal credibility, build trust and boost long-term brand equity and investor confidence.

Business News

Here's How Much Palantir Pays Its Top Tech Talent, From Software Engineers to AI Researchers

With stock up nearly 500% in a year, Palantir is booming. Here's how that translates into pay for its employees.

Starting a Business

I Built a $20 Million Company by Age 22 While Still in College. Here's How I Did It and What I Learned Along the Way.

Wealth-building in your early twenties isn't about playing it safe; it's about exploiting the one time in life when having nothing to lose gives you everything to gain.

Business News

75-Year-Old Billionaire Ray Dalio Just Sold His Last Shares in the Hedge-Fund Firm He Founded. Here's Why He's 'Thrilled About It.'

Dalio served in a variety of positions at Bridgewater Associates, including CEO, CIO and chairman, over decades.

Science & Technology

AI Isn't Plug-and-Play — You Need a Strategy. Here's Your Guide to Building One.

Don't just "add AI" — build a strategy. This guide helps founders avoid common pitfalls and create a step-by-step roadmap to harness real value from AI.