Amazon's excessive employee surveillance in France led to a $34 million fine, as confirmed by the French data protection agency CNIL (Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertes).
This picture taken on on October 22, 2019, shows a new Amazon warehouse, part of mobile robotic fulfilment systems also known as 'Amazon robotics', in Bretigny-sur-Orge, some 30kms south of Paris.
CNIL argued that what Amazon is doing with its workers is against the law, especially since the American retailer's surveillance activities are too extreme.
To make matters worse, CNIL claims that Amazon employees were not adequately informed regarding the excessive surveillance, which kept data for over 30 days.
France: Amazon's Excessive Employee Surveillance Leads To $34 Million Fine
According to BBC News' latest report, CNIL confirmed that the Amazon France Logistique uses handheld scanners to capture workers' activities, as well as store data for a month.
The French data protection watchdog said that it started investigating Amazon logistics, which manages warehouses, after numerous employees complained about the surveillance practice.
France 24 reported that Amazon's extreme surveillance activities violate the EU's GDPR (general data protection regulation); GDPR imposes strict rules regarding obtaining consent on how employees' personal details are used.
Because of Amazon France Logistique's law-breaking activity, it was fined $34 million, which is equivalent to 3% of the retailer's annual revenue.
CNIL said that thousands of Amazon employees were negatively affected by the e-commerce giant's extreme surveillance practices.
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Amazon Employees Experience Extreme Pressure
An employee prepares a package for shipment at the Amazon logistics centre in Suelzetal near Magdeburg, eastern Germany, on Mai 12, 2021. - The US online sales giant had opened the new warehouse in Saxony-Anhalt in August 2020.
CNIL said that the surveillance activity it identified puts immense pressure on Amazon employees. This is because almost all their actions are being recorded.
For example, CNIL confirmed that scanners alerted Amazon of inactivity exceeding 10 minutes or the handling of parcels "right up to the second."
The French data protection watchdog said that one of its targeted surveillance methods is Amazon's so-called stow machine guns." It involves checking if an article (the smallest unit in a line of goods) has been scanned too fast or less than 1.25 seconds.
Aside from these, Amazon also monitors employees' entry into the warehouse, as well as the start of their work.
Because of these unethical activities, CNIL said that Amazon staff were under constant pressure and were forced to justify their absences.
Amazon might think that its surveillance practices will lead to more productivity in its warehouses. However, a recent study revealed that monitoring all the activities of workers can lead to mental stress and physical injuries.
Once this happens, then Amazon's employees will decrease, leading to a less productive day. You can click here to learn more about this study.
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