Weaving Privacy and Power: On the Privacy Practices of Labor Organizers in the U.S. Technology Industry
Weaving Privacy and Power: On the Privacy Practices of Labor Organizers in the U.S. Technology Industry
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隐私与权力的交织：论美国科技行业劳工组织者的隐私实践
DOI：
10.1145/3555574
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发表时间：
2022
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Watkins, Elizabeth Anne
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kapoor, Sayash;Sun, Matthew;Wang, Mona;Jazwinska, Klaudia;Watkins, Elizabeth Anne
我们调查了计算技术行业劳工组织者的隐私做法，并探讨了这些做法的变化，以应对远程工作。我们的研究处于工作场所动态的两个关键转变的交叉点：（a）由于远程工作，在线工作场所通信增加，以及（B）劳工运动的复兴和集体行动的增加工作场所-尤其是在科技行业，这种现象被称为科技工人运动。随着远程工作的增加，与工作有关的通信转向在线数字平台，这为工人的隐私创造了新的机会，也带来了新的风险。这些风险对于集体行动的组织者来说尤其重要，因为有几起公司报复劳工组织者的事件广为人知。通过对29名参与集体行动的科技工作者进行一系列定性访谈，我们调查了劳工组织者在参与这些行动时如何评估和减轻隐私风险。组织者经历的最常见的风险包括雇主的报复、横向工人冲突、情绪倦怠以及有关集体努力的信息泄露给管理层的可能性。根据风险的性质和来源，组织者使用数字安全实践和基于社区的机制的混合。我们发现，当威胁来自管理层时，数字安全实践更具相关性，而社区管理和适度是保护组织者免受横向工人冲突的核心。由于劳工组织是一个集体而不是个人的项目，个人隐私和集体隐私交织在一起，有时是冲突的，往往是相互构成的。仅仅以个人为中心的隐私概念往往与组织者的需求不相容，他们指出，只有当工人们向管理层提出统一战线时，才能实现数量上的安全。基于我们的访谈，我们确定了未来研究的关键主题，例如监控软件的日益普及以及国际和零工组织者的需求。我们总结了设计建议，可以帮助创建更安全，更安全和更私密的工具，以更好地应对组织者面临的风险。
We investigate the privacy practices of labor organizers in the computing technology industry and explore the changes in these practices as a response to remote work. Our study is situated at the intersection of two pivotal shifts in workplace dynamics: (a) the increase in online workplace communications due to remote work, and (b) the resurgence of the labor movement and an increase in collective action in workplaces-especially in the tech industry, where this phenomenon has been dubbed the tech worker movement. The shift of work-related communications to online digital platforms in response to an increase in remote work is creating new opportunities for and risks to the privacy of workers. These risks are especially significant for organizers of collective action, with several well-publicized instances of retaliation against labor organizers by companies. Through a series of qualitative interviews with 29 tech workers involved in collective action, we investigate how labor organizers assess and mitigate risks to privacy while engaging in these actions. Among the most common risks that organizers experienced are retaliation from their employer, lateral worker conflict, emotional burnout, and the possibility of information about the collective effort leaking to management. Depending on the nature and source of the risk, organizers use a blend of digital security practices and community-based mechanisms. We find that digital security practices are more relevant when the threat comes from management, while community management and moderation are central to protecting organizers from lateral worker conflict. Since labor organizing is a collective rather than individual project, individual privacy and collective privacy are intertwined, sometimes in conflict and often mutually constitutive. Notions of privacy that solely center individuals are often incompatible with the needs of organizers, who noted that safety in numbers could only be achieved when workers presented a united front to management. Based on our interviews, we identify key topics for future research, such as the growing prevalence of surveillance software and the needs of international and gig worker organizers.We conclude with design recommendations that can help create safer, more secure and more private tools to better address the risks that organizers face.