I flat out rejected a job that used this kind of sotware. No regrets, better opportunities came up later. The more you bend, the more they will ask you to (politely) bend further.
they ask politely the first couple of easily bendable employees, and then after that they ram it down the throat of the others with the excuse that other employees are happy with it. It's not just spyware like that, it's everything downright abusive like changing the T&C of your job, shift patterns, etc.
I'm guessing it will be part of your contract that you agree to be monitored in any form the employer decides. I'm not defending monitoring btw just that employers will cover that
also: remove / turn off attached audio devices, wi-fi, ethernet cable and turn off the computer/laptop when not in use. my job gives me a laptop I use for work, and i used to make it sleep when I am not working. when it started turning on suddenly at odd times, i was not having any of it. these days, when it's not in use, it's powered down.
I used aluminium tape on mine. When I told my boss before going into a meeting he was not fussed at all I think he would do the same if he could get away with it.
Especially considering since cybersecurity workers aren't allowed the time to research and look around a company's network, and most likely quit these jobs to go to another company (because the US is short 4 million skilled workers)... yeah. It's a matter of when it will happen.
This is one of the most dehumanizing enslaving behaviors by employers in the modern world. The idea that company OWNS employee during their workhours is nuts by itself, but this is something next level, something close to ancient slavery. It doesn't match the definition of violating human rights on paper, but those definitions were established in a different era where computers and remote work didn't exist. In its core this is a MAJOR violation of human rights.
I am pretty sure in a company that i worked for they had a special purposes guy of special trust that was watching and hearing for management, a fellow coworker in disguise. He slept over his tongue. They watch and hear you also after hours! When you finish unplug it, put it into the box and place in a closet. Still the problem is you are sharing your private network with that company crap and should change access password everyday after finishing the cotton gripping.
@@Krlowanigu-mg6eg What you've described here is a well know practice in Russian PRISONS. Those prisoners who secretly cooperate with prison administration are called "Stuckach", their goal is to gather information from other prisoners in a friendly manner.
I agree. It's capitalism getting to another level. In the future, this is going to be discussed as a real violation, meanwhile we are the guinea pigs 🤡
Kinda cheap price actually for a company. I'd guess the employer is not the only one with exclusive access to the cam, mic and the rest, i bet company that makes this software is double-dipping in the employee personal data.
In 2021, I got outsourced as a developer for a major bank. They gave me a laptop that had pretty mediocre specs, and there was a Terms and Conditions everytime I open it reminding me they're tracking me. To the point of asking my wife to move the cursor every 5 minutes everytime I wanted to use the bathroom or go shopping. I couldn't download anything (not even libraries for the project) and anything I needed had to be asked to IT, who took days to solve the simplest task via remote. I once asked for a RAM upgrade as the 4GB of RAM I used weren't enough (they denied the request, as they made internal tests to my pc via remote and didn't think it was necessary). And that's not counting the resources the laptop used for tracking me. Eventually I quit, as it was such a stressful environment between meetings, 7-8 levels of management and subpar coding equipment. I hoped that by now those kinds of practices would go down...
I would get fired by these stalkers because I don't type in the correct amount of keystrokes fast enough so they'll assume I'm not working when I'm actually researching to solve another problem. That's great! I can spend my time looking for employers who will actually trust me to do the job I want to do.
But while you wait for that second job, maybe invest some time or money in a mouse jiggler. Then see how long you can "work" two jobs without this one noticing.
As someone who has to write a lot of repetitive words/phrases/templates, etc. I use Espanso so I can write :dd and get my name and the current date, or :ltime to type out the log message about what I was doing for that project, for example. Point being, they'd prob complain about how I'm typing way less than other employees lmaoo
@@kagayakuangel5828 "or build a business. We need more businesses. Best way to combat inflation." We've had several months of zero inflation and even some negative inflation recently. We don't have an inflation problem right now. We have a price gouging problem.
From the company's perspective - first question: Are these tracking tools hackable? Can you hack them and take all the data, videos and pictures of all the employees. If yes, the company is playing with fire. Not even fire, napalm.
@@CommanderRiker0 In some places it's per instance. Plus in a two party consent situation consent can be revoked at any time. And termination in that case will be retaliation.
@@ecchioni I think you misread my statement. To be employed you will be giving consent, that will likely be part of your contract. You can't just revoke your consent while in a contract with another party. You would have to cancel your employment.
@@CommanderRiker0it goes beyond that. It shouldn’t be legal in the first place. Obviously a company can monitor their work equipment. But monitoring you, storing data on you like pics, videos, work habits, where you walk, packaging it and possibly selling it without your knowledge, that should be illegal. So while you may give consent, it’s like giving consent to something illegal like to be a human centipede, it shouldn’t be legal in the first place.
About 5 or 6 years ago, while broke and unemployed, a very interesting position was posted on LinkedIn in my city …totally my wheelhouse. When I looked into the company, I realized they made employee tracking software….. I decided without hesitation that I was not going to be part of anything like that!
Sadly the tech field is filled with amoral demons willing to sell out their peers for a paycheck by making software like this for corporations and governments to make your life worse.
I find it hilarious that a software company that will fire you if you don't type anything or move your mouse while programming, tells me that the company knows nothing about programming 😅
I'm learning python and C++ right now and they'd fire me in a heartbeat. So far most I've programmed is an atm interface and functions from withdrawals deposits ect. I still haven't memorized the entire language so I refer to a cheat sheet for certain characters and their functions
@@xenosayain1506 Exactly! Most of programming requires abstract thinking. Conceptualization, visual calculus and pattern building. Which is all done in your head before programming anything. It needs to be visualized and simulated in your mind or on paper. Humans aren’t supposed to memorize massive amounts of information unless it is used on a daily basis. Having the syntax written down somewhere will help to give your mind the space necessary to build and create.
I am a VP in tech. I really don't give two shits about what my team is doing during the day as long as things are getting done on time. I don't have the time or the desire to spy on their desktop.
Exactly! You'll know if someone isn't doing their job. You don't need software to do that for you. People can form "busy" and get NOTHING done. How are these executives this gullible?
The reason these software are so popular is specifically because people were not doing their work. I have encountered this myself when several people were fired from where I work for swearing up and down that a project they were assigned to was being worked on but when that due date came up suddenly they had nothing. No finished project not even any proof of work.
If you need software like this, that tells me a few things: 1) your leadership team is weak, 2) which made your recruiting team bad, 3) which makes you treat existing employees like crap to make up for all the other inefficiencies, and 4) your business probably will never go anywhere assuming it even survives for the next few years.
the spying apps can probably detect that... you would have to fork over the dough for a completely new PC. just thought you should know.I would look at virtual machine obfuscation techniques and how they are found to figure out a temporary bypass if you don't have said dough though. Hope you have a great day & Safe Travels!
I am so glad to work in IT, where I'm the one who sets up and locks down the computers, where I can say with CERTAINTY that there's none of that crap at my company.
@@shishsquared Until you aren't the one that is setting up the computers. I've been where you are in 3 very large corporations that will remain nameless. I've been part of large scale automation projects, one in particular tasked with the virtualisation/cloudification of partnering/subsidiary companies that operated on legacy on-prem setups. I myself have been automated out of those three roles.... not to mention a number of offshored roles resulting in my eventual redundancy just prior to Covid. After a 20 career in "IT".... I'm finally alienated from that world. A piece of advice..... if you think you are safe because you are on top of the castle, make sure there isn't a bigger castle.
I do a manual job outdoors alone but do see coworkers occasionally . We have an office who have given some people a mobile phone so they can monitor their whereabouts via computer in case they are slacking or overspending time on breaks. But the job has its peaks and troughs of busy and quiet times during the day so you'd have to keep walking or driving aimlessly (wasting fuel) to avoid being in one spot for too long and being questioned.
There is no line. Any monitoring software is also spyware. The only distinction is whether you personally install it intentionally onto your own machine, or if its installed by someone else.
"We have decided to give you the job. You come across as extremely professional, intelligent, a hard worker & someone we can trust in our company". *Installs tracking software on your work laptop*
"We should be able to do anything we want on equipment that does not belong to us" - you Also, no, before you call be a BoOtLiCkEr I have actually advocated against such software everywhere I've worked, but you need to understand that it's the company equipment and they have a right to install whatever management software they please. You consent to it when you sign that hiring paperwork.
@@antikommunistischaktion No, wrong. If you cannot fulfill your profession, because you need to be worried that idiots, that do not understand your job, get the wrong idea, or the machine is not usable, then the provided tool is of no usage and I call this a violation of contract. That is the first one. Secondly, you have to fulfill state law. If I as an employer put an electric shock device under the keyboard I, according to your logic, would just mean business with the hardware I own. Which fulfills the subject of torture and abuse. This might be an exaggeration, but it shows the stupidity of your argument.
I have worked with companies that wanted to install spyware like this on MY pc. I told them if it was so important they can ship me a laptop with the software installed. They never do and will make it sound like you are being the bad guy for not letting them install invasive software on your private property. I flat refuse. If it cost me a contract, so be it.
This is the sorta crap that makes me never wanna work for anyone again....... I think I'd be happier on the street than living under a literal microscope.
I know managers who would love this sort of software. It's the type who are insecure about their performance metrics and rather than tackle and fix the root cause issues, create more layers of admin to cover it up.
Never ever do anything personal on a work computer. At home or otherwise. Unless you want your boss having all of your passwords. Photos of the webpages you visit ect. I worked for IT and they forced us to install Spector 360. And kept it a secret. Told employees it was fine to do personal stuff on their breaks. All the while recording everything they did.
If I find out my company is spying on me, the lawsuit will make the news. The home is where you have an expectation of privacy. Its a violation of rights, and yes, people can violate rights just as much as the government.
I agree audio and video is an issue, but if you're on a work computer, whatever you do on it is their business. Good luck with that lawsuit. Plus, if you don't like it, go back to the office. Easy.
@@maxmustermann194 my office did try getting us to put their monitoring on our personal computers when they sent us home during Covid. I said nah. So they let me bring my work comp home.
"You never know when a top performer might suprise with actual time spent". The reason why top performer is in top is because often his/her actions are well-thought. So their two hours top-notch work may be result of 6 hours of thinking xD
This is exactly it. They monitor you moving your cursor, but how do they monitor your thinking? Half of my job is thinking, doing is only about 30%. This kind of approach to performance measurement is so stupid!
In other words, some employers think the actual amount of work you do is way less important, than you just looking really busy and wasting time. We used to call something like this malware/virus, because that's literally what it is. What do you do, when it's a slow day at work? Does the system recognize that as "not working"? What are you supposed to do if your employer doesn't give you enough work that day? I refuse to believe it is even remotely (pun not intended) legal anywhere in the world for your employer to willingly and knowingly install malware on your private system without your consent or even knowledge. Does it get turned off after work hours? How can you be sure? Passwod safety? What's that? I could go on for hours with all the issues here. This is pure evil. It's the wet dream of complete psychopaths who read 1984 and thought it was a great idea.
The most dystopian part of this is that companies have been doing stuff like this for a while and we’re only finding out now. JP Morgan Wadu and these are absolutely disturbing.
Had a conversation with a hiring manager about remote work (not an interview). The manager advised me ask for a company computer. If they cannot provide one, I was advised to not install nor give remote access to their IT team to my personal computer. In general, nowadays is best to avoid remote work that has no objective productivity metrics.
And this is why I have a webcam cover and have disabled the built in mic with both an intentionally busted device driver and several registry edits to prevent automatic driver re-installation. I still check it occasionally because I'm paranoid lol. My headset is wireless and I only turn it on when I use it.
I am pretty sure in a company that i worked for they had a special purposes guy of special trust that was watching and hearing for management, a fellow coworker in disguise. He slept over his tongue. They watch and hear you also after hours! When you finish unplug it, put it into the box and place in a closet. Still the problem is you are sharing your private network with that company crap and should change access password everyday after finishing the cotton gripping.
If it can be installed silently by clicking on a link, it just proves one of the top information security rules: DON'T CLICK ON RANDOM LINKS/ATTACHMENTS. Prevent that shit from being installed in the first place.
I have a feeling that companies are going to start (if they haven't already) using more and more of these systems, AND they will begin to make it very obvious and frustrating for the employees as a way to force remote workers back into the office.
They're fully ingrained with the boomer mentality. Funny thing, the majority of managers don't even know how to do the job they're managing. So, it is extra stupid. @@swordmaster305
@@TheMetalValkyrie Sure, but if I'm going to choose between being "secretly" audio and video recorded at home or in the office, I might choose in the office.
My initial reaction is that this is against the law, but given it's company property i'm guessing there's some workaround crap... regardless, i'd rather be broke. No way am i giving up all of my privacy for a fkin slave job. That literally IS modern-day version of slavery...
Watching this while working from home. No question they're doing this to me. I see my cam come on every now and then for a moment. I do worry that with the audio monitoring they'll hear Jeff Berwick's latest weekly monologue in the background.
I know getting another job is not easy but I wouldn't work that way. Like, I already have a stalker!! Now also whoever is watching from office? Just crazy.
@@SafetyKittendon’t use company devices when doing personal things. Pretty simple. This also works the other way around. Don’t use your personal phone for work. If they ask you to, get a new job.
@@TacticsTechniquesandProcedures if I need to use a work device to access the NHS or anything direly, I'm going to do it. There's no "keep your personal life on personal property" batman type rule BS, I'm going to do it. Just is how it is.
Antivirus, not installing crap sent to you by email, making a VM, not using Windows, listening to your email client when it tells you you're about to download a dangerous file to your computer.
It's a must now that the only way to combat this is when you get the job offer, you look over the fine print, find the parts that allow them to do this, scratch it out on printed paper, send that in, and if they don't agree with your terms then that's fine, find another company who will leave everyone tf alone.
Yea tear it or tell them to reprint the contract. If they must spy, make sure they download malwarrs on their own devices and gift them to employees instead
@@jeffweingrad4658 Oh on the contrary. Legally you're allowed to send this by mail which is what I was referring to actually and you can get it notorized if you want to get a witness involved and send it certified mail with a return receipt so you know they in fact got it AND you can stipulate that the contract will come into effect in X number number of days if no response is given. People think it's a one-way street but in reality, it's commerce and you are doing business with one another after all.
@@jeffweingrad4658 for some reason my comment was either removed or deleted but I'll say it again just in case the RU-vid algorithm automatically did it or strangely enough Josh which I doubt. You can actually mail that in and that's what I was referring to.
The monitoring stuff with metrics scares me. They seem to expect everyone to work at a uniform speed. I have pretty severe adhd. So it's hard to get focused. But once I do, I can be extremely focused. So there are some days I barely do any work, but others where I do a huge amount of work. When you average it out, I've been a lot more productive than my coworkers. But I'm always terrified they'll see that I did almost nothing one day and fire me for being a bad worker.
imagine getting fired and your company leaks your webcam videos in the worst moments of your life. Ever farted on mute? The world is a to meme the shit out of it.
One can purchase a physical webcam cover for less than $4 on Amazon, which I’ve used for at least 5 years. I don’t trust that a hacker could be monitoring me, let alone an employer without my knowledge or approval. If anyone dared to contact me about this, I’d find a new job promptly.
Imagine if you have kids. And they start filming your children, and the person monitoring is a perv. Listening in when you're off duty or filming you off duty. This is sick!
Employee tracking software is a tool of intimidation, not productivity. If we had a government that cared about its people, this horrible, abusive, power-tripping bullying would be illegal.
Nothing makes workers trust a company more than constantly being monitored and then micromanaging about every tiny thing you do. Be prepared to constantly have passive aggressive conversations with your manager because you had the audacity to not make every waking second of your life about your job, OH JOY 😊!
Just have two computers, one for work, one for other. Unplug or cover webcam, disable mic/location tracking. Or simply just don't work for a place that does this.
I am pretty sure in a company that i worked for they had a special purposes guy of special trust that was watching and hearing for management, a fellow coworker in disguise. He slept over his tongue. They watch and hear you also after hours! When you finish unplug it, put it into the box and place in a closet. Still the problem is you are sharing your private network with that company crap and should change access password everyday after finishing the cotton gripping.
Got laid off 4 years ago. I can't believe how stupid i was and not seeing how the world works. I was actually thinking that it was a dream job. Thanks for the video. Exposing these people
Cant wait for "well technically electroshocks arent illegal if the voltage isnt THIS high. Motivate your employees by a little zap every 10 minutes if they dont smile enough. 10 out of 1000 doctors recommend".
@@TacticsTechniquesandProcedures Grow some pairs and stand your ground. Nobody asked me to turn the camera on so I am not voluntarily doing it. Don't let peer-pressure dictate your life.
A piece of sticky silicone for the camera, a powerful magnet for the microphone and a solid knowledge of Task Manager's processes and services, makes you a hard (IT) worker.
I know this sounds crazy, but what if you asked your top employees how they do better and implement those options with everyone. For instance some people work better at night maybe make graveyard shifts an option. I know these ideas sound crazy, but maybe they'll work.
Woah, you mean treat people with courtesy, understanding, and respect? That will never happen. The dehumanizing part of it is a built in feature, not a bug.
I keep my laptop closed and connected to my external monitor. Easily can unplug the camera and turn off phantom power to my studio mic. No one comin at me.
Gladly I work on a production floor, so I don't deal with this nightmare. But if a company required this and gave me a computer, so be it. Just don't use it for anything personal ever, and end your day at 5. If they require it on your own computer, no they don't. You (both my company and the big brothers company) don't get to see my log in for medical, banking, or email. In either case, cover the camera and microphone.
This is why I keep a completely separate work laptop. It's still mine, bought with my own money, but I don't install ANYTHING on it, download any 'fun' crap, or login to ANYTHING with my personal accounts. It's strictly for work, and once that job is over, I wipe the computer (revert it back to original backup, or fresh Windows install) The problem comes in when you're forced to use a personal email or some kind of personal finance account. Those websites may force you to log in, and some have policies against "multiple accounts" so I can't just create another one for work. That's when I try to utilize my smart phone, but of course, even then, it's hard to stay in sync, and I'm also worried about work spyware potentially invading my phone somehow, because, inevitably, I'll have to do some kind of work task on my phone, so I'll probably end up getting a work phone too, lol.
7:48 I'm having a flashback to the late 80s early 90s when I was in a computer programming class and my professor told me I expect to see you people leaning back in your chair and thinking. I mean I've seen programmers you just sit there and type in type in type and they have a bunch of junk code that is meaningless, useless and might not even run. Great productivity on your computer monitoring system there buddy!
My previous job implemented somethingbof that nature. The supervisors were granted work fron home privileges, while the rest of us were still going to the office. So to "supervise" us the computers had a program (more like spyware) to track the movements of your mouse. So if you did not move it four like 10 minutes it would show an alert asking you why it was not moving. But I guess they were too lazy to check, since I slaked off a lot during my last months there and never got called out.
This stuff is beautiful for hackers. It creates a back door into the companies' employees. Hackers can steal all their passwords, all their documents, and all of your company secrets. Isn't it a wonderful world we live in.
