Italy's Data Protection Authority restricts workplace AI and surveillance

The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante Privacy) has issued rulings regarding the use of technology to monitor employees. In a recent warning (provision no. 342/2026), the authority prohibited AI systems designed to analyze the emotions of workers through corporate chat platforms like Slack or Teams. The ruling specifically addressed tools like Myndoor, which use semantic analysis to provide psychological stress indicators. The Garante stated that an employee's emotional state is a personal dimension that cannot be subject to monitoring or evaluation by an employer, even indirectly, noting that the European AI Act expressly forbids AI systems intended to infer emotions in the workplace.

In a separate enforcement action (provision no. 620/2026), the authority fined a company 10,000 euros for violations related to video surveillance. The ruling emphasized that the activation of camera systems must comply with union agreements and respect workers' rights under the Workers' Statute.