France fines Amazon €32 million over employee surveillance
France’s data protection authority, CNIL, has imposed a significant penalty on Amazon France Logistique, fining the company €32 million for deploying a monitoring system deemed excessively intrusive. This system allowed for detailed tracking of warehouse workers’ performance, contravening the stringent privacy protections enshrined in the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The fine highlights the ongoing tension between business operational efficiency and employee privacy rights.
The investigation by CNIL revealed that Amazon’s use of handheld barcode scanners, which tracked package movement and worker activity, subjected employees to close surveillance and continuous pressure. Unlike traditional performance monitoring methods, Amazon’s technology could monitor workers down to the second, flagging errors if tasks were completed in under 1.25 seconds. Such granular scrutiny, according to the regulator, unlawfully required workers to account for every pause or interruption in their workflow.
CNIL’s decision emphasizes the importance of balancing productivity measures with privacy rights. The GDPR mandates that personal data collection be minimized and stored only as long as necessary. However, CNIL found that Amazon retained detailed scanner data for longer than required, arguing that real-time data and weekly summaries were sufficient for operational needs. This over-retention of data further contributed to the breach of EU privacy rules.
Amazon has expressed disagreement with CNIL’s findings, emphasizing the standard nature of warehouse management systems and their necessity for safety, quality, and efficiency. The company also highlighted the importance of tracking inventory storage and package processing to meet customer expectations. Despite this, Amazon is considering an appeal, as the fine represents a significant stance by European regulators to enforce GDPR and protect worker privacy.
