Algorithmic transparency in the workplace: a comparison between Italy, Spain, Germany and France

This thesis examines the significant influence algorithms have on modern work environments, addressing not only the ethical, social, and political issues they raise but also their implications for accuracy and efficiency. The analysis investigates how algorithms are shifting the power dynamics between employers and employees and redefining working relationships, frequently at the price of employee rights and transparency. The research emphasizes the dangers of escalating inequality and solidifying already uneven power dynamics, drawing on the concepts of surveillance capitalism and alienation as defined by Marx. The efficiency of the various laws in the algorithmic regulation is assessed by the thesis through a comparative study of the laws of four European nations: Italy, Spain, Germany, and France. The ability to strike a balance between protecting fundamental rights and technological progress is given special consideration. Because of the CNIL's integrated approach and the complementarity between general laws and work environment-specific regulations, the analysis finds France to be the most comprehensive regulatory model. The thesis determines that algorithmic transparency is a political and cultural concern as well as a technical one, necessitating legislation that can turn technology into a tool for social justice and advancement rather than for exploitation and control.