The 2010s will be the decade of many things. One thing the 2010s will be known for is the decade of surveillance. On every corner, in every public place everywhere, you’re being watched, whether you know it or not or like it or not.
Now there’s some software that lets you know if you’re employer is monitoring you. For Apple users, it’s through iOS 9.3, and it will let you know if your workplace is monitoring your iPhone activities. When the iPhone is being watched, a message will come on the bottom on the screen saying, “This iPhone is managed by your organization.” It won’t shut down your employer’s surveillance or give you more privacy. All iOS 9.3 does is let you know when you’re being monitored. The rest is up to you. The software probably won’t work if others (family, friends, advertisers, total strangers, government agencies) are monitoring through your iPhone. Employers can supervise devices through Apple’s Device Enrollment Program. Corporations can send Apple products to their employees for any reason. There’s also a program called Mobile Device Management (MDM). This lets the employer manage and supervise software on the iPhone. Through this, the employer can keep tabs on their staff.
It strikes me we’re learning about this at the same time of Apple‘s legal battle with the FBI over a terrorist’s iPhone. I’m all about the right to privacy, but here, I empathize with the employers. If the employer gives you an iPhone for work purposes, then they have legal right to supervise what’s going on there. So be careful of how you use that device. But I can’t let employers completely off the hook. The MDM program should be used, not abused. So if they’re going to monitor their employees, it needs to be for a real good reason. Thanks to iOS 9.3, they can see if they’re being monitored. That could cause all sorts of office problems. Could iOS 9.3 be an equalizer in work relations?