Every breath you take / Every move you make / I'll be watching you!

Take a look at this photo:

Looks like one of those coffee shops where young customers stay for hours while making use of free wifi, right?

Look again.  There is something hanging under his neck.  If somebody had asked me to guess what it is, I would have failed, and failed miserably.

It is a "sociometric badge."

I am with you--I have no idea what it means when somebody says "sociometric badge."  Guess what it is for?  "Combined with digital data, sociometric badge data can help organizations get a holistic view of how work gets done."

Even at this point, you might wonder what that means.  I am with you.  I didn't know about any of these until I read this essay on how digital technology and data on all kinds of things are enabling employers to monitor their employees every second.  It is one of the most depressing essays that I have read recently.  Ignorance is bliss!

That "sociometric badge"?  Ironically, the company that makes that is called Humanyze.  A company that is all about dehumanizing people and their work is called Humanyze!  It is a pioneer in something called "people analytics"--a phrase that I wish I had not heard or read. Referred to in short as PA.   "Worn around the neck and attached to microphones and sensors, the badges record their subjects’ frequency of speaking, tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language."  Note the kinds of data that the badge is collecting!

Very little "escapes the gaze of the sociometric badge and its associated technologies":

“Even when you’re by yourself, you’re generating a lot of interesting data. Looking at your posture is indicative of the kind of work and the kind of conversation you’re having.”

This is fucking insane!

Even scarier is this: Humanyze is not the only game in town.  All these PA firms "rely on combinations of wearables and computer-based technologies to monitor and control workplace behavior."

These companies boast that their systems can find out virtually everything there is to know about employees, both in the workplace and outside it. “Thanks to modern technology,” in the words of Hubstaff, a PA company based in Indianapolis, “companies can monitor almost 100 percent of employee activity and communication.”

Like I said, this is fucking insane!

The owners of these robots gain more wealth and power over labor that increasingly is left behind and becomes voiceless.  The demagogue who foul-mouthed his way to the Oval Office in order to fight for the forgotten men and women couldn't care less.  It was never about the forgotten!