Wells Fargo fires staff for faking keyboard activity: How do employers spy?

Reports of employees using software to simulate mouse activity on devices to deceive their companies during work hours have surged since the Covid-19 pandemic

Prominent United States bank Wells Fargo has fired about a dozen employees for using 'mouse jiggler' software to fake their keyboard activity and deceive the company during work hours.

The employees were dismissed last month following an investigation by the bank.

The employees were sacked or resigned "after review of allegations involving simulation of keyboard activity creating the impression of active work," the bank said in a statement, noting that it does not tolerate "unethical behaviour" from its staff.

A mouse jiggler is a software tool that simulates mouse movement or clicking activity, typically to deceive a computer into thinking that the user is active.

Reports of employees using such tools, especially during work-from-home engagements, have surged following the pandemic.

In the case of Wells Fargo, it wasn't specified if the incident was linked to work-from-home employees.

The US bank says it has been working under a hybrid work model since 2022, which allows employees to work remotely at times.

How do employers spy on employees?

Such recent incidents have prompted companies to take drastic measures, including investing in advanced technology to monitor employees' office activity. However, this move has sparked a counter-debate on privacy concerns, with many arguing that such measures infringe on employees' right to privacy and autonomy.

Company-issued devices also block certain links and websites such as Netflix, YouTube, and other entertainment-linked sites to ensure that employees use the company's resources exclusively for work purposes.

According to experts, employees who use company-issued devices have minimal privacy, as their online activities can be closely monitored. Moreover, downloading work-related software on personal devices can also get one in trouble as companies often have strict network security measures in place to prevent hacking, which may include monitoring employee activity.

Additionally, one should check for mobile device management software (MDM) on their devices. MDM allows employers to manage employees' devices, a tool available in one's phone's privacy settings which can be adjusted for permissions.

An additional method used to check the background activity of a device is checking the system's task manager. On PCs, this can be done using Ctrl + Alt + Delete to check if there are any unrecognised applications active on your device.