Employers are using digital tools to watch where workers go, how much they do, and what they say.

These tools became common during the pandemic.

Experts say new advances in artificial intelligence let employers build large data sets about workers.

Wilneida Negrón, from the nonprofit Coworker, said workers with the least power are often the first to face unwanted data collection.

Pharmacist Lannie Duong said her employer tracked how long her calls and appointments took.

She felt pressured and without hope, and she said her job ended after she took medical leave.

Arianna Anaya, a college teacher, found that an administrator read her private comments on student essays.

She said the school used the online learning system to read personal student work, and her teaching contract was not renewed.

Some states, including New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and Maine, require employers to tell workers about monitoring.

Maine also stops visual monitoring in homes or personal vehicles unless the job needs it.

In other states, it is hard to know if an employer is watching.

Experts suggest asking managers or the IT department what data is collected.

To protect personal information, experts advise not using work devices for sensitive matters like medical issues.

Hayley Tsukayama, from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said workers should expect some monitoring on workplace machines.

She suggested working with a union to raise concerns.

Aiha Nguyen, from Data & Society, noted that tracking features in common software may not always be on, but it can be hard to tell.