On a cold November morning, in Chandigarh, north India, a group of sanitation workers, each wearing a smartwatch, sit huddled together and seek warmth from a fire burning close by.
Sanitation workers in several Indian cities – others include Indore, Panchkula, and Navi Mumbai – are expected to wear the GPS tracking devices during work hours. They are monitored while performing a number of duties, including sweeping streets, cleaning toilets and maintaining septic tanks. Each of these smartwatches – called ‘human efficiency tracking systems’ – has a SIM card, a camera for sending pictures as a proof of attendance, and a microphone.
