Google illegally spied on workers before firing them, US labor board alleges

Re:Google illegally spied on workers before firing them, US ... by Macha on Wednesday December 02, 2020 @02:15PM (#25280216)

Yes, my last two employers have been similar. And given the requirements, both provide company phones.

I run into coworkers who then decide to use the company phone as their only phone, because the company phone is usually the top of the line iPhone or Samsung Galaxy replaced every 2 years when their personal phone otherwise is some mid range Android or 2+ year old iPhone.

Even when pointed out that the company can wipe it when they leave or even if they just suspect its been compromised, they don't seem to care. I just don't get it.

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Re:Google illegally spied on workers before firing them, US ... by throwaway201103 on Wednesday December 02, 2020 @03:31PM (#25281153)

> they don't seem to care

Maybe their lives are just not tethered to their phones. I use my phone for phone calls, texting, and maps/navigation. That's about it. It would be a bit inconvenient to lose my contact list without warning, but I export those periodically in case I lose my phone.

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Re:Google illegally spied on workers before firing them, US ... by kingnothing on Wednesday December 02, 2020 @02:43PM (#25280603)

I personally keep separate devices, but I understand the idea of only having the employer-provided phone. All of our important data is in the cloud on Google or Apple's servers. Your pictures, messages, emails, and everything else are off-site. It doesn't matter if the company wipes your phone since there's nothing on it other than thin-client apps.

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Re:Google illegally spied on workers before firing them, US ... by observr9 on Wednesday December 02, 2020 @02:30PM (#25280419)

> Even when pointed out that the company can wipe it when they leave

If someone intends to leave, they can first revoke the company's access to their phone.

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Re:Google illegally spied on workers before firing them, US ... by tristor on Wednesday December 02, 2020 @02:41PM (#25280575)

Not if it was set up with corporate deployment methods. Look into what Apple MDM is capable of on an iPhone, for instance.

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Re:Google illegally spied on workers before firing them, US ... by reaperducer on Wednesday December 02, 2020 @03:00PM (#25280820)

If someone intends to leave, they can first revoke the company's access to their phone.

If the company has the software installed to remote wipe a phone, they have the software to stop you from locking them out.

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Re:Google illegally spied on workers before firing them, US ... by neura on Wednesday December 02, 2020 @02:49PM (#25280690)

Yeah, this is exactly the opposite of reality. It is not "company's access to their phone", it is "company's control of their phone". I think you misunderstand what's being required of many people in exchange for access corporate information from their phone.

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