Fired worker who deleted location-tracking app files suit

A California woman is suing for wrongful termination after she was allegedly fired for uninstalling a location-tracking application required by her boss.

Myrna Arias, a former employee of money transfer company Intermex, was required to use job-management app Xora on her company-issued iPhone. Xora markets itself as a tool to help businesses streamline the schedules of field service employees, in part by monitoring their location and travel routes.

Attorneys for Arias said her boss admitted her location would be monitored outside of business hours and bragged that he knew the speed she was driving at specific moments as a result of the app.

“Plaintiff expressed that she had no problem with the app’s GPS function during work hours, but she objected to the monitoring of her location during non-work hours and complained to [boss John] Stubits that this was an invasion of her privacy,” the lawsuit, filed May 5, stated.

“He confirmed that she was required to keep her phone’s power on ‘24/7’ to answer phone calls from clients. Stubits scolded Plaintiff when she de-installed the app in late April 2014 in order to protect her privacy.”

The lawsuit is seen by some experts as a harbinger of trends to come, as technology encourages the breaking down of barriers between professional and private life.

So-called workforce management software is growing in popularity in offices around the country, though it is unclear how many products enable 24-7 employee location monitoring.

The suit, filed in Kern County Superior Court, seeks damages in excess of $500,000.