Why office workers could soon be filmed all day at their desks

BT has carried out trials of continuous authentication software at its Adastral Park science campus near Ipswich and it is currently at proof of concept’ stage.

The technology is a step up from standard facial recognition, which is already widely used to access internal systems with apps such as Microsoft ’s Authenticator .

Instead of only being used when someone first logs in somewhere, the new software would continuously film them with a webcam or front-facing camera and identify if their face lines up with the expected dimensions.

It could remove the reliance on every employee actively locking their screen each time they go for a coffee in case a disgruntled colleague or cyber spy decides to have a peek at their work.

Bosses risk breaching employees’ data rights when they use intrusive surveillance technology to spy on staff under the mandate of “efficiency” or “convenience’ Excessive workplace spying also creates a culture of fear, undermining workers’ autonomy, dignity, and mental health.

Government must legislate to protect workers from the harms of Big Brother-style surveillance in the workplace.