“Forget Big Brother. It’s the startups silently watching workers now.
As artificial intelligence reshapes the future of work, a new form of digital oversight is spreading quietly and rapidly across the globe—not from Big Tech, but from a sprawling network of lesser-known startups, regional vendors, and HR software providers. Little Tech Goes Global: The Expansion of AI and Workplace Surveillance, a new report by Coworker.org, exposes how this “Little Tech” ecosystem is embedding surveillance and algorithmic control into the daily lives of workers—often without their knowledge, consent, or protection.
Building on our 2020 research, this report maps the global rise of algorithmic management across six countries—Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya, and India—where legal frameworks are either outdated, poorly enforced, or nonexistent. From gig workers tracked through facial recognition and GPS to sanitation workers fined for resting while wearing “wellness” devices, the report reveals how venture capital-backed startups are exporting surveillance tech to the Global South, targeting regions with weaker privacy protections and regulatory oversight.
This is not a far-off problem. It’s happening now—in your city, your job, and perhaps your own devices.”
Read more about it on the report Little Tech Goes Global: The Expansion of AI and Workplace Surveillance, published by CoWorker.org and co-authored by Wilneida Negrón, Ayden Férdeline and several researchers in the Global South: Fabricio Barili, Gurshabad Grover, Chukwuyere Ebere Izuogu, Vidushi Marda, Mariel Garcia-Montes, Oarabile Mudongo, and me.
