Dutch Data Protection Authority bars employee health monitoring

In 2016 the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) ruled that the Personal Data Protection Act prohibits companies from monitoring their employees' health via wearables, even when employees have given their permission. The ruling concluded the AP's investigation into two companies; in one of them, wearables even gave the employer insight into its employees' sleep patterns. The AP argued that employers are free to give wearables as gifts, but that the power relationship between employer and employee means that employees cannot freely give or withhold consent to monitoring.

(In Dutch) http://www.nu.nl/gadgets/4226833/bedrijven-mogen-gezondheid-medewerkers-niet-volgen-via-wearables.html

tags: Netherlands, regulatory actions, wearables, workplace surveillance

Writer: NU.nl

Publication: NU.nl