'Neuro-surveillance' | Biometric and 'emotion-sensing' tech could harm worker wellbeing, report warns

A new report has raised concerns about the growing use of biometric and emotion-sensing technologies in the workplace, highlighting their potential to harm workers’ physical and mental wellbeing. 

These technologies, combined with algorithmic decision-making tools, are becoming a major frontier in workplace surveillance.

‘Affective’ computing - software and connected devices designed to track human emotions - is a rapidly developing field. Many organisations are exploring the use of such technologies to monitor workers’ moods, feelings, and biometric data, including heart rate, eyeball tracking, and temperature.

When integrated with algorithmic management systems, this practice - termed Algorithmic Affect Management (AAM) - allows mood and performance data to be cross-referenced with sickness records and other metrics.