my CTO is on 2 week vacation, guess what he did on his last day...
installed a camera with a microphone in our office. coincidentally right near the devs...

i'm afraid to talk with my colleagues...

Pretty sure that's illegal in most countries.

You could cover it up, tho - it is a camera, not a cop.

@hawkes
He would probably justify it as office surveillance against burglars or something.

I'm pretty sure this isn't that uncommon, it's just that it's done in a way that threatens my privacy and makes me uncomfortable.

and the real problem is the microphone, not the camera... even thought about buying a sound jammer :D

I would switch job immediately if management did that, completely unacceptable.

If a manager wants to put anything near the developers it better be an espresso machine, a beer keg, or snacks.

In the EU, if you just plug in a camera on the workplace without an audit by a regulatory authority and without having binding specifications about use (stored vs. unstored videofeed, area etc.) first, it's a clear violation of your basic rights. Not sure if labour law in Lithuania has some special national characteristics, but ...

... anyways, he's done it. Document that shit and do with it as you will.
Also think about what that says about your CTO.

@ItsNotMyFault i am thinking about that, but i haven't even worked for a full year yet, and my last job was only for 4 months, so i'm trying to fix up my cv.

I also thought about just turning off the camera, but i'm afraid they might see this as some kind of obstruction or violation of rules, so i guess i'll just have to figure out my rights.

@Anookas if you are in the EU, there cannot be ANY rule, even if signed by contract, that can violate the law. This usually means that the signed contract is to be considered void on all the aspects that breaks the law (not in toto).

Camera with microphone CAN be installed anywhere the company requires, but, as already clearly said here, they should be active during non working hours and, if active during, you must sign a privacy disclosure that state exactly why the data are stored, where, for how long, who can actually look at them and what they will be used for.
So, if something you do or say is used for *anything* beyond the scope, or by anyone should not have peeked at the data, you can go to HR for violation of the contract. If no paper has been signed, it's just a basic violation of the law.

@-eth yeap, seems so.
Thanks a lot everyone :)