Personal Autonomy and Electronic Monitoring in the Workplace

Abstract

In this chapter we suggest a significant cause for concern about electronic surveillance in the workplace, namely the moral and political value of personal autonomy and the threat to personal autonomy posed by the use of electronic surveillance. We explore the significance of psychological aspects of personal autonomy (psychological autonomy, for short) and argue that individuals may be conceived of as having rights to psychological autonomy that extend to the workplace. We then argue that, in certain circumstances, electronic surveillance in the workplace may undermine psychological autonomy, thereby infringing upon workers’ rights to psychological autonomy.