Peeping Tim Cook Faces Lawsuit That Accuses Apple of Spying on Employees...

It’s official: My tinfoil hat ain’t so tinfoil after all. How? Because Apple, the self-proclaimed messiah of privacy, is getting dragged in court for allegedly spying on its own employees like some Silicon Valley Big Brother. Amar Bhakta, a digital ad tech manager at the tech giant, has filed a lawsuit that reads like a dystopian thriller. His claim? Apple has turned its “walled garden” into a digital prison yard, monitoring employees’ personal lives through their own devices.

(Source: Giphy) 

Now obviously this is a massive grenade that’s just been dropped, especially since Apple loves to sell itself as the white knight of user privacy, but as it turns out, Bhakta’s lawsuit calls BS. According to him, Apple encourages employees to use their personal iPhones for work because company-issued devices are strictly for work only. But here’s where it gets shady: once employees cave and use their own devices, Apple allegedly gains full access to their personal data. We’re talking emails, photos, videos, notes, and even location data.

(Source: Fortune) 

The juicy part here is that due to the fact Apple devices only allow one iCloud account per device, employees are forced to link their personal iCloud accounts for work tasks. This reportedly gives Apple a backdoor to everything in the account—including family data. Imagine your kid’s iPad getting swept up in Apple’s surveillance net just because you had the audacity to work there. “For Apple’s employees, the Apple ecosystem is not a walled garden. It is a prison yard,” the lawsuit spits. “A panopticon where employees, both on and off duty, are ever subject to Apple’s all-seeing eye.” Yeah, forget privacy—this is straight-up Orwellian.

What’s more is that the allegations don’t stop at “peeping Tim Tom” on devices. Bhakta claims Apple’s policies allow it to “engage in physical, video, and electronic surveillance” of employees—even when they’re working from home. That’s right, your home office could allegedly be considered “company premises,” giving Apple the green light to monitor you as if you’re in their HQ. WTF? 

(Source: Giphy) 

So yeah, Bhakta is going full-send on the privacy violations—but he’s also coming for  Apple’s alleged gag-order culture too. The lawsuit claims Apple muzzles employees, barring them from discussing their pay or training—violations of California labor laws. And it gets worse: Bhakta says he wasn’t allowed to accept speaking gigs related to his expertise in digital advertising, effectively tanking his career prospects. The worst part about all this (besides flashing HR without even knowing), Bhakta also accuses Apple of illegally clawing back vested stock. If an employee is accused of leaking confidential info—even after they’ve earned their equity—Apple allegedly reserves the right to snatch it back. (That’s some MF Blackberry sh*t right there). 

But, but, but… what’s Apple's response to this PR obliteration? Well, they aren’t exactly owning up to it. A spokesperson said the company “strongly disagrees” with Bhakta’s claims and insists they’re meritless. Oh, and in classic PR fashion, they threw in, “Every employee has the right to discuss their wages, hours, and working conditions.

(Source: Semafor) 

Now again, the irony in all of this is that Apple’s entire brand is built on privacy. Their billboards scream “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.” But if these allegations hold water, it’s clear that what happens on employees’ iPhones is fair game for Apple’s prying eyes. Bhakta calls it out: “It’s disappointing that Apple, whose ethos is privacy and confidentiality, would try to monitor and censor me. That hurts my ability to advance professionally.”

So yeah, it’s clear the lawsuit lands like a gut punch to Apple’s pristine image. If the company that markets itself as the guardian of privacy is caught invading its own employees’ personal lives, what does that say about its ethics? 

(Source: Giphy)

Meaning, it’s no secret that Apple has all eyes on them now, with the big question being: Will Apple’s “walled garden” collapse under the weight of its alleged surveillance state? If so, then expect some massive fireworks ahead. It ain’t going to be pretty. In the meantime, filter this through a brain-cell and place your best accordingly. As always stay safe and stay frosty, friends! Until next time…

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this article, but in reality “just reading it” can only get you so far in your investing journey. It’s one thing to read these and get valued insights on the market, but it’s a whole different game to turn that knowledge into action. Which is why, if you haven’t checked out Stocks.News premium yet, what are you waiting for? Our team is absolutely killing it with 100%+ opportunities nearly every single week. So why not accelerate your knowledge and your results? It’s a no-brainer—especially with the deal’s we are offering for a limited time right here. 

Stocks.News does hold positions in Apple as mentioned in the article.