In a move to protect workers' privacy and rights, France's National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) has imposed a hefty fine of €32 million (approximately $35 million USD) on Amazon. The commission concluded that the e-commerce giant's worker surveillance practices were "excessively intrusive" and violated the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Amazon, however, disputes these findings and considers them "factually incorrect."

The investigation was prompted by press reports that raised concerns about Amazon's surveillance measures in its warehouses. CNIL found that the company's systems, designed to measure and restrict scanning speed, put "continuous pressure" on employees. One such system includes an alarming "stow machine gun" indicator that activates when workers scan items too quickly. These practices, along with Amazon's data collection and retention practices, were deemed excessive and in violation of multiple GDPR articles.

Additionally, CNIL raised concerns over Amazon's downtime measurements, which require workers to justify even the briefest interruptions, such as a minute-long break. According to the commission, this creates an environment where employees feel constantly monitored and under scrutiny.

In response to the fine, Amazon issued a lengthy statement defending its warehouse management systems. The company argued that these practices are standard in the industry and are necessary to ensure employees' safety and efficiency. Amazon claims that the systems are intended to make employees' daily lives easier and not to increase surveillance.

Worker surveillance concerns are not limited to France. In the United States, employees have lodged similar complaints about Amazon's surveillance practices. Workers claim that cameras, monitored by both managers and artificial intelligence, are constantly trained on them. Disturbingly, these videos are sometimes flagged for review by workers in India, highlighting a disturbing cycle of surveillance within the company.

It remains to be seen whether Amazon will challenge the fine imposed by CNIL, as the dispute over worker surveillance practices continues. Governments worldwide are increasingly taking steps to protect workers' privacy rights, with France demonstrating its commitment to upholding the GDPR regulations.