  We investigate the privacy practices of labor organizers in the computing
technology industry and explore the changes in these practices as a response to
remote work. Our study is situated at the intersection of two pivotal shifts in
workplace dynamics: (a) the increase in online workplace communications due to
remote work, and (b) the resurgence of the labor movement and an increase in
collective action in workplaces -- especially in the tech industry, where this
phenomenon has been dubbed the tech worker movement. Through a series of
qualitative interviews with 29 tech workers involved in collective action, we
investigate how labor organizers assess and mitigate risks to privacy while
engaging in these actions. Among the most common risks that organizers
experienced are retaliation from their employer, lateral worker conflict,
emotional burnout, and the possibility of information about the collective
effort leaking to management. Depending on the nature and source of the risk,
organizers use a blend of digital security practices and community-based
mechanisms. We find that digital security practices are more relevant when the
threat comes from management, while community management and moderation are
central to protecting organizers from lateral worker conflict. Since labor
organizing is a collective rather than individual project, individual privacy
and collective privacy are intertwined, sometimes in conflict and often
mutually constitutive. Notions of privacy that solely center individuals are
often incompatible with the needs of organizers, who noted that safety in
numbers could only be achieved when workers presented a united front to
management. We conclude with design recommendations that can help create safer,
more secure and more private tools to better address the risks that organizers
face.
