Google created tool to spy on its employees: Report
What's the story
Just a couple of days after announcing the quantum supremacy breakthrough, Google is facing flak for creating a tool for spying on its employees. Multiple staffers working for Google have alleged that the company developed this hidden program as a way to keep an eye out for large employee gatherings - a signal of unionizing and planning protests. Here's all about Google's spooky practice.
Spying
Google hoped to install the spy tool on employees' PCs
In an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg, several Google employees accused the company of developing the spying tool for flagging big meets. The program, the document said, was being designed as a Chrome extension, one that would be installed on every employee's PC to monitor their activity, particularly calendar events with more than 100 participants or involving 10 rooms.
Reporting
Then, it reports those events to senior staff, employees alleged
The employees further added that the extension was created in a such a way that it would report a person to a senior staffer as and when they would create a calendar invite and send it to over 100 people. This, they alleged, indicates that Google is trying to launch a crackdown on employees' activism by preventing them from gathering in large groups.
Revelation
Employees barred from accessing project documents
The development of the extension came into the light after Google's privacy team raised concerns over it going against the company's culture. In the ensuing weeks, employees began delving into the tool as they learned it would be installed forcibly on their systems and won't be removable either. Notably, some employees were even blocked from accessing documentation associated with the design of the project.
Response
However, Google 'categorically' denied these claims
After Bloomberg's report, Google issued a statement categorically denying the claims, and said the tool was developed to combat spamming in Calendar. "These claims about the operation and purpose of this extension are categorically false," a company spokesperson said, adding that "this is a pop-up reminder that asks people to be mindful before auto-adding a meeting to the calendars of large numbers of employees."
Information
Plus, it doesn't stop the invite from going out
In addition to this, the spokesperson added that the tool underwent standard legal, privacy, and security review and does not report information about employees creating invites or stop their invites from going out to the recipients.