The Right to Privacy in Employment: A Comparative Analysis

by Marta Otto

Overview

At the beginning of the twenty-first century the term 'privacy' gained new prominence around the world, but in the legal arena it is still a concept in 'disarray'. Enclosing it within legal frameworks seems to be a particularly difficult task in the employment context, where encroachments upon privacy are not only potentially more frequent, but also, and most importantly, qualitatively different from those taking place in other areas of modern society. This book suggests that these problems can only be addressed by the development of a holistic approach to its protection, an approach that addresses the issue of not only contemporary regulation but also the conceptualization, adjudication, and common (public) perception of employees' privacy.

The book draws on a comprehensive analysis of the conceptual as well as regulatory convergences and divergences between European, American and Canadian models of privacy protection, to reconsider the conceptual and normative foundations of the contemporary paradigm of employees' privacy and to elucidate the pillars of a holistic approach to the protection of right to privacy in employment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509927906
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/21/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.54(d)

About the Author

Marta Otto holds a PhD degree from the Department of Law of the European University Institute (Florence, Italy). She is a former scholar of the International Society for Labour Law and Social Security Law, COMPTRASEC (Centre de droit comparé du travail et de la sécurité sociale), and CRiMT (Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la mondialisation et le travail). Currently, she works as an Assistant Professor for Social Security Law and Social Policy, at the Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Lodz, Poland.

Table of Contents

Table of Cases xiii

Table of Legislation xxv

Introduction 1

1 Employee Privacy: United States Law 4

I Introduction 4

II The Origins of the American Framework of Privacy Protection 5

III The Constitutional Right to Privacy 8

A Introduction 8

B Fourth Amendment Privacy 9

i Workplace Searches 10

ii Substance-abuse Testing in Employment 13

C First Amendment Privacy 17

i Free Speech 17

ii Freedom of Association 21

iii Freedom of Religion and the Right to Work 22

D Constitutional Right to Informational Privacy 24

E Conclusions 25

IV Statutory Protection of Workplace Privacy Rights 26

A Introduction 26

B The Privacy Act 27

i Scope of Application 27

ii Fair Information Practices 28

iii Enforcement 34

C The Electronic Communications Privacy Act 36

i General Provisions 36

ii The Scope of Protection of Employees' Privacy Under the ECPA 40

a The Service Provider Exception 40

b The Business Use Exemption 41

c The Prior Consent Exception 43

iii Enforcement 44

D Conclusions 44

V Employees' Right to Privacy Under Tort Law 47

A Introduction 47

B Intrusion Upon Seclusion in the Employment Context 48

C Public Disclosure of Private Facts 50

D Privacy and the Tort of Intentional or Reckless Infliction of Emotional Harm 52

E Conclusions 53

VI Privacy and the 'Law of the Shop' 54

A Introduction 54

B Employees' Privacy Under the National Labor Relations Act 54

C Privacy in Employment in Arbitration 57

i Privacy of Personal Communication 58

ii Employer Monitoring of Employees 59

D Conclusions 60

VII The American Model of Employee Privacy Protections 62

A Judge-made Model of Privacy Protection 62

B Conceptualization of Privacy 62

C Scope of Protection of Right 63

VII Summary 64

2 The Right to Privacy: In Search of the European Model of Protection 68

I Introduction 68

II The Genealogy of the European Framework of Privacy Protection 69

III Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 73

A Introduction 73

B Right to Respect for Private Life in Employment 74

i The Foundations of Employees' Right of Private Life (Niemietz and Halford Cases) 74

ii The Employees' Right to Private Life: Scope of coverage 76

iii Employees' Right to Private Life: Scope of Protection 79

a In Accordance with the Law 79

b The Standard of the Legitimate Aim 80

c Proportionality of the Legitimate Aim Pursued 82

d Voluntary Limitations to Privacy Rights 85

C Conclusions 87

IV The 1995 European Data Protection Directive 88

A Scope of Application 88

B Data Controllers and Data Processors 89

C Data Protection Principles 90

D Processing of Sensitive Data 94

E Enforcement Mechanism 96

F Data Protection in the Employment Context 97

i European Court of Justice Case Law 98

ii The Working Party Standard of Processing of Personal Data in Employment 102

G Conclusions 106

V Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union 108

A The Right to One's Private Life 108

B A Fundamental Right to Protection of Personal Data 109

C The Bifurcation of Privacy: A Change in the Paradigm? 112

D Conclusions 114

VI The European Model of Protection of Privacy 115

A Europe as a 'Multilevel System' of Protection of Privacy 115

B Conceptualization of Privacy and Related Interests 118

C The Scope of Protection of Right to Privacy 119

VII Summary 119

3 Employee Privacy in Canada 121

I Introduction 121

II The Evolution of Privacy Law in Canada 122

III The Right to Privacy Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 124

A Introduction 124

B Unreasonable Search and Seizure: Section 8 125

C Liberty and Security: Section 7 128

D The Scope of Privacy Protection Under the Charter 130

E Conclusions 132

IV Federal Legislation on the Protection of Personal Information 133

A Introduction 133

B The Privacy Act 134

i Substantive Provisions 135

ii Institutional Arrangements 137

iii Protection of Personal Information in the Employment Context 138

a Access to Information 138

b Disclosure to Third Parties 140

c Personnel Files 140

d Electronic Monitoring 141

e Video Surveillance 142

iv Conclusions 144

C The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act 144

i General Provisions 144

ii Complaint Mechanism 148

iii Processing of Personal Information in the Employment Context 149

a The Scope of Application of PIPEDA in the Employment Context 150

b Fair Information Principles in the Employment Context 151

1 Consent 152

2 Non-consensual Processing of Employee's Personal Information 154

3 Limited Collection 155

4 Legitimate Use and Disclosure 156

5 Individual Access 157

iv Conclusions 158

V Employees' Privacy in Arbitral Jurisprudence 159

A Introduction 159

B Searches and Surveillance 162

C Electronic Monitoring 164

D Alcohol and Drug Policies 166

E Conclusions 167

VI Canadian Model of Protection of Employee Privacy 168

A Towards Accommodating Polarity 168

B Conceptualization of Privacy and Related Interests 169

C Scope of Protection of Right to Privacy 170

VII Summary 171

4 The Right to Privacy in Employment: An Enquiry into the Conceptual and Normative Foundations of the Contemporary Paradigm of Employees' Privacy 172

I Introduction 172

II Theoretical Conceptions of Privacy: Towards a Better Understanding in Law 174

A Introduction 174

B Limited Access to the Self 175

C Secrecy 176

D Control over Personal Information 177

E Deontological Conceptions of Privacy 178

F Conclusions 180

III A Contemporary Paradigm of Employee Privacy 181

A Introduction 181

B Conceptual Assumptions of the Privacy Paradigm in Employment 183

i Public/Private Dichotomy v 'Contextual Integrity' 183

ii From Liberty Towards Privacy as an Equality Right 185

iii Privacy as Social Good 186

C Legal Principles Governing the Scope of the Protection of the Right to Privacy 187

i Reasonable Expectations Principle 187

ii Principle of Legitimate Limitations 188

iii The Principle of Proportionality 189

iv Transparency Principle 191

v Consent 192

D Conclusions: Towards Holistic Protection of Privacy in Employment 194

i 'Integrated Construction' of Employees' Rights 194

ii Employment-specific Legislation 196

iii Employees' Privacy Rights Education 198

Bibliography 200

Index 211