Amazon appeals its conviction by the CNIL for “excessive” surveillance of its employees

Amazon announced on Friday March 22 that it would appeal its conviction in January by the CNIL, the French privacy watchdog, to a fine of 32 million euros, for its employee surveillance system. “We strongly disagree with the conclusions of the CNIL, which are factually incorrect, and we have appealed this decision to the Council of State”, declared Amazon in a press release sent to AFP. The CNIL, for its part, did not comment on Amazon’s decision to appeal.

This fine targeting Amazon France Logistique (AFL) is equivalent to nearly 3% of the company’s turnover, a level “almost unprecedented”the National Commission for Information Technology and Liberties (Cnil) told AFP in January.

“Intrusive” for the Cnil, “necessary” for Amazon

The CNIL opened a procedure in 2019 following press articles and complaints from employees, and concluded that AFL had implemented “an excessively intrusive system for monitoring employee activity and performance” with regard to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). She criticizes it in particular for collecting productivity data on a massive scale via scanners used by employees in its warehouses.

These tools “are necessary to ensure the safety, quality and efficiency of operations and to ensure inventory tracking and package processing on time and in accordance with customer expectations”responds Amazon, which affirms that it is a “common industry practice” logistics.