privacy

Companies don't trust their workers because they don't treat them well enough to earn their trust.

So to avoid the trust issue they just implement more and more draconian techniques to make up for the lack of pay/vacation/respect.

It honestly might even be cheaper than just being nice to your employees. So yay? Profit?

I personally do not trust any company provided equipment. I would never do anything untoward within the eye of their cameras. I work from home and I set up a second wireless network for all my work gear, and firewall rules to prevent them from talking to anything on my networks. I also use an external webcam that is usually turned off (electrically, as in no power flowing), and even my microphone goes through a sound board that can completely turn off. Bonus points is that I can also turn my mic down on my board, or pad it to hell and back and even if the meeting software lies about me being muted, I know for sure thanks to my trusted hardware.

Sounds like an arms race due to mutual distrust.

Surveillance cold war?