Digital systems A digital system is an arrangement of multiple digital technologies that operate together to col­lect data, process it according to defined rules or instruc­tions, and produce outputs. A digital system may include hardware, software, data storage, and interfaces used by managers or workers. The system refers to the combined operation of these components rather than any single de­vice or application. Digital systems are combinations of digital technologies working together. Digital surveillance/ worker monitoring The use of digital tools to observe, record, or analyse workers’ activities, move­ments, communications, or performance, including CCTV, GPS tracking, keystroke logging, and screen monitoring. E Enforcement gaps The disconnect between formal legal rights and their real-world application, often due to weak oversight, delayed remedies, limited access to regulators, or reliance on individual complaints. F Function creep The gradual expansion of a technology’s use beyond its original stated purpose, for example when security or attendance systems are later used for perfor­mance evaluation or discipline. H Human oversight The requirement that automated or AI-driven systems remain subject to meaningful human re­view, judgment, and accountability, particularly when deci­sions affect workers’ rights or livelihoods. I Informational asymmetry A power imbalance in which employers control access to information, data, and system logic, while workers lack insight into how technologies op­erate or how decisions are made. O Occupational safety and health(OSH) Legal and organisa­tional obligations to protect workers’ physical and mental well-being at work, including risks arising from stress, work intensification, constant monitoring, or technological change. P Platform worker classification The legal determination of whether platform workers are treated as employees, self-­employed, or a separate category, which affects ac­cess to labour rights, social protection, and collective bar­gaining. Power asymmetry An imbalance of authority and control between management and workers, intensified in digital­ised workplaces through surveillance, data extraction, and algorithmic control. Purpose limitation A core data-protection principle requir­ing that data collected for one specific purpose (e.g. security) not be reused for incompatible purposes (e.g. discipline or productivity scoring) without justification and consultation. R Right to explanation/ transparency The principle that workers should receive clear, accessible information about what data are collected about them, how technologies function, and how decisions affecting them are made. Right to disconnect The right of workers to be free from work-related digital communication and monitoring out­side working hours, protecting rest time and work-life boundaries. Risk assessment An evaluation of potential harms associ­ated with introducing new technologies, including impacts on privacy, health, equality, workload, and job security. S Surveillance capitalism/ data extraction A model in which value is generated by collecting and analysing large amounts of behavioural data, increasingly applied within workplaces through digital management systems. W Worker dignity and autonomy Foundational labour princi­ples recognising workers as rights-bearing individuals, not merely data points or inputs, requiring limits on intrusive monitoring and automated control. 28 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e. V.