this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2025
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  • The Rise of "Little Tech": Small startups and SaaS vendors—often backed by Silicon Valley venture capital—are leading the charge in AI-powered workplace surveillance, embedding tracking tools into everyday HR and productivity software.
  • Global Surge, Local Collapse: While countries like Brazil, Mexico, and India have privacy laws on paper, enforcement is weak, allowing both domestic and foreign vendors to deploy invasive technologies unchecked.
  • Gig Workers as Guinea Pigs: Gig economy workers in sectors like delivery and rideshare are the frontline subjects of AI surveillance, subjected to real-time tracking, biometric scans, and even models that predict union activity.
  • Surveillance Disguised as Care: AI surveillance is increasingly framed as a tool for safety, wellness, and productivity—masking coercive oversight in the language of health and efficiency.
  • Privacy Theater: Many vendors offer copy-paste privacy notices while quietly retaining worker data indefinitely. In countries like Mexico and Colombia, some companies even conduct home visits and collect data on workers' families.
  • Workers are Fighting Back: From sanitation workers in India to ride-hail drivers in Nigeria, workers are resisting algorithmic control—organizing protests, forming unions, and demanding AI transparency.
top 16 comments
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[–] darth_pub@kbin.melroy.org 52 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Who thinks about starting a tech company for the purpose of snitching?

[–] criss_cross@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I worked at one of those my first job out of college. The dude that started it was a used car salesman turned “serial entrepreneur”.

[–] GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 day ago

Oh lord. I bet he was such a joy to be around.

[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 27 points 2 days ago

Rich folks of course. They like to meddle with and control the lives of the social classes beneath them. It makes them feel powerful. Same reason it's back to the office.

[–] dissentiate@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 2 days ago

The same people who publicly justify their lack of humanity with well rehearsed elevator pitches, all neatly wrapped up in vague altruism and social benefit jargon.

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 11 points 2 days ago

—often backed by Silicon Valley venture capital—

Not all "startups" are created equal I guess

[–] etchinghillside@reddthat.com 16 points 2 days ago

The type of people that get themselves in to Entrepreneurship for the sole reason of not specifically solving a problem they’re interested in but that just want to be seen as important “i can business” people so they over promises a layer of AI on top of random situations in hopes they can hold together a charade long enough to get VC interest and an exit.

[–] KeenFlame@feddit.nu 15 points 2 days ago

Yeah this is big brother still. It refers as much to a single entity as it does to an actual older sibling.

Reminder that any sort of workplace surveillance is outright illegal in some EU countries. It could even be considered a criminal act.

[–] Colloidal@programming.dev 4 points 1 day ago

While countries like Brazil, Mexico, and India have privacy laws on paper, enforcement is weak, allowing both domestic and foreign vendors to deploy invasive technologies unchecked.

So they're doing just as well as the US?

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The full report

These are all important points and it sounds like a summary of everything that is wrong in IT wonderland.

I guess the report goes into more detail, I guess they needed some nice headline to wrap it in, but - I wonder where they draw the line between "Big" and "Little" tech or why it's supposed to be a big gotcha that not only the biggest corporations employ outright evil tactics, exploit workers globally.

[–] August27th@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

I feel there's a certain sad irony about the domain on that link.

[–] Bababasti@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago

**Workers are Fighting Back**: From sanitation workers in India to ride-hail drivers in Nigeria, workers are resisting algorithmic control—organizing protests, forming unions, and demanding AI transparency.

You love to see it <3 Hope the IWW or similar organizations will gain some momentum here.

[–] untakenusername@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

big brother isn't the future

its a wonderful, wholesome, big family we can expect, everyone watching everyone else

which isn't much better ngl

Well let's not forget big brother. Just know we live in a panopticon and we all need to band together to make change happen

[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

So why are we making the Combine from Vacuum Flowers?