The workplace has become a surveillance state

A Cracked Labs report examines how office buildings increasingly use motion sensing and wireless infrastructure (e.g., Cisco Spaces) to track workers’ indoor location, movement, and behaviors, enabling profiling and proximity monitoring. The piece highlights regulatory and legal considerations (FTC guidance, GDPR), vendor claims of compliance, and resistance from stakeholders such as students at Northeastern University who opposed desk sensors. While acknowledging potential benefits, the report emphasizes risks of misuse and calls for stronger safeguards and labor protections, noting stricter requirements in parts of Europe and the need for better U.S. laws.