[deadly74]

So you get an iPhone as company phone complete with 'find my phone' app which is great, BUT the app is being activated a couple of times a week so obviously phone is being traced. Issue has been raised by some staff who dont like the idea and employer says not us we are not allowed to so it must be either Apple or Orange gathering data through the network???

Any thoughts?

[tvbox]

is it not possible to switch the app off in Settings? Are you sure it's FMI? It could be other apps if you go to 'location services'.

How do you know that it's FMI? Are you just spotting the white triangle? if that's the case then other apps that you may never think of use location services like facebook and reminders.

[Mr_Wistles]

You can turn it off in Settings, not sure if Find My Iphone would return a result of "Can't Locate" or "Off" though.

[GAZBEROTTEN]

Originally Posted by deadly74

So you get an iPhone as company phone complete with 'find my phone' app which is great, BUT the app is being activated a couple of times a week so obviously phone is being traced. Issue has been raised by some staff who dont like the idea and employer says not us we are not allowed to so it must be either Apple or Orange gathering data through the network???

Any thoughts?

Find a small perimeter about 2 miles and go round it ten times. It will drive the party tracking you nuts to the point where they will get the message and give up

[deadly74]

App is in the menu of location services and yes you get a grey arrow to show that it has been used in last 24 hours, or purple if being used as you check it,
Interested in the legal ramifications really, not bothered myself as I dont take the p!ss, it's the topic as a whole that interests me?
Can turn off but signed a note when getting phones to say we are not allowed to turn iCloud off and the app is cloud based.

[andyk]

You can turn off Find my Phone without turning off Cloud services.

[blankscreen]

Originally Posted by deadly74

So you get an iPhone as company phone complete with 'find my phone' app which is great, BUT the app is being activated a couple of times a week so obviously phone is being traced. Issue has been raised by some staff who dont like the idea and employer says not us we are not allowed to so it must be either Apple or Orange gathering data through the network???

Any thoughts?

as i see it, companies fit trackers to vehicles so they know here their field staff are, what time they start/finish each job and each day, so the president has already been set. as for legality this could be part of your terms of employment.

where it gets darker and i think excessive, is tracking you in your private time, especially female staff. your company should for its own goodwill lay down when the will and when they won't track this data.

[Mr_Wistles]

Originally Posted by andyk

You can turn off Find my Phone without turning off Cloud services.

but does it return a "not turned on response" in Find my iPhone?

[deadly74]

Yes you can but don't forget as I said we have signed a disclaimer to say to we wont turn cloud or FMI off.

[deadly74]

Trackers in vehicles is the obvious one and I don't have an issue with that, the significant point for me is that should an employer by law tell you they are tracking you by whatever means before actually doing it?
The issue would come if they complained you were only on the road for 6 hours but you had actually done another 6 hours at home, the phone won't give an accurate view of what someone is doing.

[Dave]

If it's their phone they can do what they like.

[unique]

Originally Posted by deadly74

So you get an iPhone as company phone complete with 'find my phone' app which is great, BUT the app is being activated a couple of times a week so obviously phone is being traced. Issue has been raised by some staff who dont like the idea and employer says not us we are not allowed to so it must be either Apple or Orange gathering data through the network???

Any thoughts?

what does your contract or T&C's regarding the phone say?

and what specific concerns do you have about being tracked whilst you are being paid to work?

and what evidence do you have that you are being tracked?

[deadly74]

I don't think so Dave, I believe that they have to notify you before tracking by law.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by deadly74

I don't think so Dave, I believe that they have to notify you before tracking by law.

They're not tracking you though are they? They're tracking their phone.

[CrucialM500]

I believe they are entitled to track their property, I.e. the phone but wouldn't be able to discipline the employee by using data collected from tracking the handset.

Let's be honest though, once the company has found foul play they'll have you on something else.

[deadly74]

Unique, I don't have an issue being tracked as I personally work bloody hard but whilst I may work a 17 hour day, I may only be away from my base (home) for 6 or 7 hours. I quite frequently leave home at 5:30am get back for 2.30 or 3 then work at home on laptop until 10:30 or 11pm!!

Evidence is the phone itself as it shows when the app has been used within the last 24 hour period. Employer refutes activating it and says it must be the network or Apple gathering data bundles but my personal iPhone has the same app and is never activated?

[blankscreen]

speaking personally, i would hate any firm of tracking my movements, wreaks of oppressive big brother and mistrust.

my view is you either trust me or i don't work for you - simple as ! (but then i've run myown company for 25 years .

i'm thinking along the lines if the data protection act, as used in CCTv.

btw this don't affect private dwellings,

Companies that have or manage CCTv systems which hold data, to protect people privacy from the Tv exposure type shows, the system has to be managed by a strict few nominated personnel, only they have access to the data held, and must record a valid reason for any viewing of it, maintaining a record of of who, when and why for each access incident

i think but i'm not sure, as the find my iPhone data would also contain your private journeys/appointments/mistress whatever, so would fall into the remit of this legislation.

depends if your fronty like me, i just loved to make waves when employed , be worth mentioning to the manager, contravention of the DPA can result in a fine of up to £5k, might back them off a tad.

[Azzin]

Check which account FMI is aligned to.

It's not anyone but whoever's account is is set up with and that will tell you straight away.

[imightbewrong]

Do fleets cars have gps tracking? Is this any different to that?

[blankscreen]

Originally Posted by imightbewrong

Do fleets cars have gps tracking? Is this any different to that?

Fleet cars can gave tracking, bit of a grey area as unlike a company phone it is outside the users/employee control to turn on/off.

An area where your rights are clouded by your fear of being seen not as a 'team player' by your employer.

[Exemplar]

We use it at work and we used it to dismiss a colleague last year who constantly lied about his whereabouts.

[m@rk]

If it's a company phone then they have the right to track their property. The whole idea of Find My Phone is so if the device is lost (and remember this contains company data and cost a lot of money) they stand a chance of getting it back and also have the ability to wipe any company data off it remotely.

This is why they tell you not to turn it off.

As for tracking you

If it's a company phone then you would only carry it when on company business on "work time". It's not as if you take it with you when you are out on the town on a Saturday night (or do you).

So just like they can read your work emails, they can also look at who you are calling and also where their phone has been and use that data (THEIR DATA) however they see fit.

It's not as if they are tracking you when you are on your own time and if they are, that's something you have a choice about (leave the phone at home or switched off)

[blankscreen]

Originally Posted by deadly74

I don't think so Dave, I believe that they have to notify you before tracking by law.

I agree, if your firm has CCTv which records sound you have to warned if it, but as yet don't know of any cases brought or lost, due to not doing so

[blankscreen]

Originally Posted by m@rk

If it's a company phone then they have the right to track their property. The whole idea of Find My Phone is so if the device is lost (and remember this contains company data and cost a lot of money) they stand a chance of getting it back and also have the ability to wipe any company data off it remotely.

This is why they tell you not to turn it off.

As for tracking you

If it's a company phone then you would only carry it when on company business on "work time". It's not as if you take it with you when you are out on the town on a Saturday night (or do you).

So just like they can read your work emails, they can also look at who you are calling and also where their phone has been and use that data (THEIR DATA) however they see fit.

It's not as if they are tracking you when you are on your own time and if they are, that's something you have a choice about (leave the phone at home or switched off)

speaking as a former field engineer, and a shop steward, you (as an employer which i have been since) have to balance the right to track company equipment against the right of the employee to privacy and your trust. it is part and parcel of that. imho you must start any relationship based on total trust with fair discipline, in order to get the best from you staff.

being 'screwed over' occasionally is also part and parcel of being in business if you don't understand that then stay employed), much as loosing plant or shrinkage is. if you disrespect everyone based on one or two 'bad egg's - then most everyone will retaliate and you loose far far much more than you can ever hope to gain by open repressive spying. Human nature means many will spend time overcoming your methods, disrespecting you ss you have them.

[Doug the D]

Have you actually asked if you can just turn it (the app) off?
Whilst I would like to believe that I live in an ideal world where my employer trusts me implicitly, I am not naive enough to ever think that they do. It's a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless I'm afraid!
We have trackers fitted on our vans, to enable the company to retrieve it should it be stolen, I have heard (not fact, speculation) that the company is legally not allowed to access the tracking software with the sole purpose of checking my (the vans) movements against my claimed hours on a timesheet. I have personal use of the van, and I accept that the company can (should they wish to) see where the van is when I'm using it. I would agree with a few others here in saying that if don't want to be watched a la big brother, then you should turn the phone off once in your personal time/space. I understand that you have nothing to hide from your employer, but raising this as a serious issue with them would probably give them cause for concern, as in they will counter with " if you've got nothing to hide, why are you bothered?"

[blankscreen]

Originally Posted by Doug the D

Have you actually asked if you can just turn it (the app) off?
Whilst I would like to believe that I live in an ideal world where my employer trusts me implicitly, I am not naive enough to ever think that they do. It's a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless I'm afraid!
We have trackers fitted on our vans, to enable the company to retrieve it should it be stolen, I have heard (not fact, speculation) that the company is legally not allowed to access the tracking software with the sole purpose of checking my (the vans) movements against my claimed hours on a timesheet. I have personal use of the van, and I accept that the company can (should they wish to) see where the van is when I'm using it. I would agree with a few others here in saying that if don't want to be watched a la big brother, then you should turn the phone off once in your personal time/space. I understand that you have nothing to hide from your employer, but raising this as a serious issue with them would probably give them cause for concern, as in they will counter with " if you've got nothing to hide, why are you bothered?"

the reason you raise it is because you feel uncomfortable, it's like allowing someone like Alan Sugar to stare at you 8 (or more) hours a day.

Any knowledgeable employer knows all good employee's have principles, regardless of their ability to do their work. tracking is an affront to their sense of having principal's, after all why have them if your not trusted? It can cause the same kind of emotional irritation as critiquing someones driving. Instead if going home a bit late or starting a bit early to cover a job or help out, a 2 finger salute is more likely.

[Doug the D]

I completely agree. But...if you ask me whether my employer cares what I feel? I'd have to say no. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I give them my time and effort, they pay me money. It's a business transaction. It'd be different if I thought I was being poorly treated though. I work for a large (ish, before all the redundancies) company. And I honestly think that if I told them I feel uncomfortable being watched all the time, I'd be told " tough, get on with it".

[Davidc7230]

I don't think the company are tracking your movements with the phone. Surely they'd open themselves up to legal action if an incident occurs where its been misused? on the other hand the company has invested a large sum into the iphones £400+ a unit. Surely they are entitled to take every precaution to make sure that investment isn't wasted.

Off topic-ish but I never knew you had to keep a log when using CCTV. Out of 5 duty managers 3 of them (me included) are the only ones who know the password and how to operate the camera systems. I've never been told I had to log why/when I've used it.
However I do find it disrespectful that the two senior managers use it to check up on me and my night team, given the fact We've never gave them a reason to.

[Knyght_byte]

If you dont like being tracked, then get your own phone for personal time? No offence, but if your employer values you enough to buy you an iphone, you clearly earn enough to get a phone of your own?

If you are on call, then thats a little different, but you could always have call forwarding from the work phone to your own for those moments surely?

Personally, I couldnt give a monkeys if they did track me, but then I dont do anything dodgy that I'd need to hide from an employer, and the world of Big Brother is already WAAAAAAY past the point where something like this is a worry...lol.

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by Azzin

Check which account FMI is aligned to.

It's not anyone but whoever's account is is set up with and that will tell you straight away.

OP-did you check this?

If nothing else, it will confirm the account belongs to your employer and it is them that's tracking the device.

And if that is the case, why would they be denying it and saying its the network operator and/or Apple??