China bosses use smart seats, Wi-fi to track staff activities, leads to anti-monitoring gadgets

2026.03.22 06:20 In China’s monitored workplaces, employers use Wi-fi, surveillance cameras and smart seat cushions to track staff activities, leading to increased interest in anti-surveillance gadgets. Photo: Shutterstock In some Chinese workplaces, employers use office Wi-fi, surveillance cameras and even smart seats to monitor what staff do, say and search online. Workers’ Daily reported that a woman working at a technology company in Guangzhou, southern China, discovered that a camera had been installed above her desk after she declined to go on a business trip because she was ill. In January, she said a manager warned her not to use private group chats during office hours. After checking the camera’s storage card, she was alarmed to find it had recorded everything from text to images on her phone and computer. In some workplaces, bosses have installed smart seat cushions like the one above to track staff activities. Photo: mp.weixin.qq.com Another case reported by Southern Metropolis Daily involved an employee at a technology company in Hangzhou, eastern China. Her boss had distributed smart seats that could record data including heart rate, breathing and sitting posture. She said a manager once questioned why she was away from her desk every morning between 10am and 10.30am and warned her to be careful or risk having her bonus cut. She described realising the seat had been tracking her movements as “creepy and uncomfortable”. Surveillance cameras like the one above are also installed to track the movements of staff. Photo: Shutterstock Such cases are far from rare. An advertising company in Fuzhou, southeastern China, reportedly restricted employees’ toilet breaks, requiring them to clock in and out using fingerprint scans, with fines for exceeding the allotted time. Last September, a start-up employee surnamed Wu was dismissed for allegedly defying the boss and slacking off. Evidence the company submitted in court included office surveillance footage and brow

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