Council's suspension of staff after monitoring movements via phone records created a storm of interest

Liberty's President, Jessie Taylor, made the following statement:

"If an employee is using a phone or other electronic device provided and paid for by their employer, then they must be aware that their employer is able to access information about how and where that device is being used. But of course, just because an employer can access that data doesn't mean they should, and such breaches of an employee's privacy are likely to lead to a significant erosion in the trust relationship and culture of a workplace. 

There are also significant concerns about whether these employees are given due process. Using triangulation from mobile phone towers is a notoriously unreliable method of ascertaining the location of a person or their device at a particular time, and I would hope that these employees have been given ample opportunity to respond to any perceived discrepancy between where they should have been and where the data says they were. 

There is also a serious question about whether the council has breached its obligations under the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities. As a public authority, Stonnington council has an obligation to act consistently with human rights, including the right to privacy and to freedom of movement."

Themes: 
Privacy and Private Life