Apple reportedly bans facial scans of employees, but not factory workers

Apple lately banned its manufacturing companions from gathering facial recognition scans and the fingerprint information of Apple workers who go to manufacturing amenities, in response to a Wednesday report by The Information. Citing an inner Apple doc it reviewed, the outlet additionally stories that the brand new privateness rule doesn’t apply to the greater than 1 million manufacturing unit employees who make Apple’s merchandise. 

The inner doc is reportedly a part of Apple’s new safety protocols geared toward decreasing mental property theft, and in addition features a mandated improve in surveillance digicam use at manufacturing amenities, together with upgrades to element monitoring techniques that monitor Apple {hardware} throughout manufacturing. The doc additionally requires producers to conduct legal background checks on manufacturing unit employees. 

The transfer by Apple comes as different corporations, reminiscent of Amazon, are ramping up their use of facial recognition technology on workers. In accordance with a number of stories, Amazon’s supply drivers are required to consent to biometric monitoring to be able to preserve their jobs. The monitoring comes from cameras put in in supply automobiles, which can take employees images and observe their driving for unsafe behaviors.

Apple didn’t instantly return CNET’s request for remark.