Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: New Device Helps Your Boss Spy On You

BOSTON (CBS) – We talk a lot these days about Big Brother.

There are endless stories about the government collecting our phone and internet records.

But how about the way companies are spying on us?

Google and Facebook, for instance, often know a lot more about us than the government does.

And now it appears we have a whole new level of corporate surveillance described in Britain's Daily Mail.

It's based on a new device made by Hitachi - it's actually an ID badge - that tracks an employee's every move in the office, records who they've spoken to and even for how long.

It's called "Business Microscope" and it can tell how long you were in the bathroom. Or on a smoke break. Or in the lunch room.

You literally cannot hide from your boss.

That's because these devices can actually talk to each other.

So when they come within a certain distance they record the length of an interaction and even what they call "behavior rhythm data."

It's all saved on a server somewhere.

It's unclear what, if any, companies plan to use the new system.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joemathieuwbz