Virtual supervisors are paid by Live Eye Surveillance Camera to shout at employees or scream at petty criminals trying to rob a store. This is a remote service that has Indian nationals living overseas watching stores 24/7, for any business willing to pay a fee.
The company offering this service is Live Eye Surveillance of Washington State, which offers its services by monitoring the workplace virtually. On the other end is a person halfway around the world who is paid to watch the CCTV, all times of the day.
Perpetual surveillance of businesses and employees
Given the title 'process analysts' by the virtual security firm, they are all remotely working in India. According to the firm's site, these virtual supervisors are supposed to assist remote workers. They also report dubious activities, assuring employees are safe by screaming threats at criminals and reminding employees to do their jobs. Critics say that it is close to voyeurism and invasive, reported Indy 100. They also said the use of remote technology is exploitation, and many experts say that constant monitoring can affect an employee a lot while jeopardizing the mindset of employees.
I'll be watching you, Live Eye
Eva Blum-Dumontet, a senior researcher at Privacy International where she studies the impact of technology and human rights and how they are related, says that when employers monitor their employees it will become toxic in the long run for the mental health of all employees, cited Motherboard.
Remote supervisors are too bossy?
One incident that was seen on video is particularly discomfiting. In one instance, a convenience store clerk is dealt with harshly by the Indian on the other end. The remote supervisor said the employee took too much time sipping a drink before scanning it and buying it. Management may consider this situation a positive, but employees might resent it.
But, the controversial CCTV virtual security system can sometimes work in defending businesses and their workers, at the least when it comes to theft.
An attempted robbery at a convenience store
In a well-known convenience store, the live surveillance camera caught two armed men trying to rob the ship. They were threatening the clerk, so they can get the money from the stores' case register. They kept the gun pointed at the store clerk the whole time.
The process analyst starts talking via the speakers to say that the police have been alerted and are on their way. Hearing this, the robber ran off from the store, and the employee came out unharmed. Hearing the analyst's voice made them think twice, giving credence to the technology.
Captured footage from Live Eye in this attempted store robbery is used by the remote CCTV company to promote its services to its possible clients. But this is an isolated incident, anything could have gone wrong anytime ending in tragedy for a live Eye Surveillance Camera.
No one knows what will come out of the technologies used when India virtual supervisors work as Live Eye Surveillance camera analysts. Hopefully, there will be more positive results from hearing another person on the other end of the camera.
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