Al-Azhar Fatwa Clarifies AI Monitoring of Employees
Al-Azhar Fatwa Center addressed the use of AI to monitor employees, allowing it for work-related purposes and prohibiting intrusion into personal life.
The Egyptian Fatwa Authority explained that using AI technologies in the workplace to track task completion, manage work hours, protect data, and maintain company and client interests is permissible under both Islamic law and Egyptian legislation, provided it is confined to the work environment and complies with existing regulations.
Extending monitoring to employees’ private lives, personal data collection beyond permitted purposes, or observing private matters is prohibited both religiously and legally, violating privacy rights and data protection laws.
The fatwa emphasizes that AI use is fundamentally allowed unless applied in a forbidden context, in line with the Islamic legal principle: “The default ruling on things is permissibility.” Proper measures include informing employees of monitoring, limiting supervision to work-related activities, and respecting personal privacy.
Legally, Egypt’s Law No. 151 of 2020 on personal data protection mandates explicit consent for data collection and restricts use to necessary purposes while ensuring privacy. The Egyptian AI Responsible Charter also requires all AI processes to comply with relevant laws, including data protection and cybercrime prevention.
The ruling highlights the balance between leveraging modern technology to enhance work efficiency and safeguarding employees’ rights and privacy, promoting a transparent and secure work environment compliant with both law and Islamic principles.
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