'How is this legal?': Company forcibly installs cameras into employee's home offices to spy on them

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Mar 1, 2024 1:00 PM EST

There are so many great things about working from home. For starters, you can sleep in without being dreadfully late for your shift. Commuting eats up so much of your precious sleep time. I used to wake up 20 minutes before every shift during one of my WFH internships, allowing me not to be pitifully exhausted all day. It also allows you to make lunch at home, do laundry during the day, and see your family far more often. 

Working from home is ideal for many workers because nobody is looking over their shoulder. There are so many bosses in the world who are complete micromanagers and want to know what their employees are doing every second of every day, and WFH makes it so much easier to curb such behavior. Unfortunately, home offices can't wholly eradicate such foolishness. One worker's company got bought out and will now have cameras installed in their home office. Dystopian much? 

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  • 01
    My company is putting cameras into our home offices to monitor. Is that normal? Work for a small company. They got bought out and now we're all gonna have cameras in our home offices. I'm kinda creeped out and feel that's kinda far. Is this normal?
    via u/Dontlistntome
  • 02
    milksteakofcourse 22h No it's not ● ... Reply 42k ↓
    via u/milksteakofcourse
  • 03
    Jolly Bad6770 - 22h The cameras are not normal... the feeling creeped out seems normal. ↑ 876 ↓
    via u/Jolly_Bad6770
  • 04
    buda104 22h ● as in the room where you work while at home? - yeah i would nope out of that ... Reply 973
    via u/buda104
  • 05
    Yes Dontlistntome OP. 22h ... 4189
    via u/Dontlistntome
  • 06
    Ms Central Perk 22h What country are you in? I work in data protection and this would absolutely not be acceptable in the EU/UK 4289 ...
    via u/Ms_Central_Perk
  • 07
    guacislife12 22h ● I think even the US has laws about this being illegal. Definitely worth checking into 4290 290
    via u/guacislife12
  • 08
    bs2k2_point_0.19h Unfortunately, it does seem legal with some exceptions. From what I've read, if they can do it at the office they can at your house (meaning they can't ask you to put cameras in your bathroom or break room). However, it's odd they'd be so blatant about it when there is plenty of software packages they could use to do the same thing without video. Another thing worth mentioning is segregating your network. Keep your work computer on a separate vlan that doesn't have access to yo
    via u/bs2k2_point_0
  • 09
    Footloose55 - 22h An actual camera in your home? Absolutely not. The webcam monitoring that some companies do is already too much and too intrusive, there is absolutely no way I'd allow a camera with live stream access/capabilities into my home from a third party. Reply 4481 ↓
    via u/Footloose55
  • 10
    ConcentrateNice7752 22h Laptop camera has tape on it. Sorry camera doesn't work...4th laptop later still doesnt work... Reply 328 ...
    via u/ConcentrateNice7752
  • 11
    Sergeant Beavis • 22h I'd start looking for a new job. Even if they changed their minds about cameras, they'd still use some sort of monitoring. Get out as soon as you can. Reply 4191
    via u/SergeantBeavis
  • 12
    Hangmn65 21h I worked for one of the biggest telecoms company as a consultant. Once WFH started they required laptop camera on for the duration of the work day. I got out of that contract as soon as I could. ... 60
    via u/Hangmn65
  • 13
    punklinux. 20h One of our clients insists upon it, and my boss gave us permission to place a mini monitor (like $40 on Aliexpress) in front of it with a looping video of you continuously picking your nose. I doubt anyone ever did, but the client hasn't complained, so I think it's just posturing. 48
    via u/punklinux
  • 14
    im_from_mississippi. 22h Cool cool cool they found a way to make wfh worse than in office Reply 495 ...
    via u/im_from_mississippi
  • 15
    GruntledEx 19h ● Which is probably the goal. There's a huge commercial real estate bubble about to burst with the transition from WFH, hence this rather forceful push from corporations for return to office or at least hybrid. 35 35
    via u/GruntledEx
  • 16
    winterbird 22h ● At most, they could require you to agree to be on cam through your work computer while you're working. To mount a separate camera inside your home... no. Reply 分 58 凸 ...
    via u/winterbird
  • 17
    zombieblackbird • 22h "Yeah, I work from that trash can over by the garage. Just put it in there. Thanks." Reply 55
    via u/zombieblackbird
  • 18
    Charles Darwin59 • 21h OP, ask them to explain how the data collected outside of work hours is handled. When they don't have a good response tell them you're willing to install the camera as soon as they can ensure your family's (who are NOT Employed by them) privacy in their own home. Unless they are physically unplugging the camera every day then they can't ensure the privacy because it's on your home network that you're not qualified to secure and it can be turned on remotely without you know
    via u/CharlesDarwin59

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company work from home antiwork surveillance employee working from home job work working Office camera wfh home office companies spying
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