There were 900 complaints about privacy at work last year and workers felt more pressurised to provide private information, the privacy watchdog CBP says.

The pressure to provide personal information has increased as a result of the economic crisis, the CBP told free newspaper Metro.

‘In good times, a worker would refuse to answer personal questions but now the pressure is too great,’ CBP chairman Jacob Kohnstamm told the paper. ‘Workers are feeling increasingly forced to reveal to employers more about themselves than they would like.’

Earlier this month, the CPB said consumer electronics retailer Media Markt broke privacy laws by secretly filming staff.

The retailer used mystery shoppers equipped with hidden cameras to film shop staff. The company then used the results in personnel evaluations. Images from security cameras were also used to judge staff performance.

The organisation has also complained about health and safety firms passing on information about sick workers to insurance companies.