Workplace Monitoring, Digital Tracking and Employee Privacy: A Legal Assessment

Shweta Saini, Dr. Shikha trivedi

Authors

Shweta Saini, Dr. Shikha trivedi

Keywords:

employee monitoring, digital tracking, workplace surveillance, privacy rights, data protection, DPDP Act, GDPR, CCPA, employment law

Abstract

The rapid advancement of digital monitoring technologies in contemporary workplaces has created substantial legal, ethical and organizational challenges regarding employee privacy rights. This review article examines the legal landscape governing workplace monitoring across India, the European Union and the United States, analyzing statutory frameworks, regulatory enforcement and judicial precedents. The article synthesizes the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023 in India, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States, identifying common legal principles of proportionality, necessity and transparency alongside significant jurisdictional divergences. The analysis reveals that while the EU has established the most prescriptive framework with substantial enforcement mechanisms, India's DPDP Act remains nascent with significant implementation gaps and the United States presents a fragmented landscape with federal-level protection deficits. The article concludes that balanced regulatory approaches must reconcile legitimate employer interests in productivity and security with fundamental employee rights to privacy and dignity, particularly addressing emerging technologies and power imbalances inherent in employment relationships.

References

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