Amazon has developed a new system designed to enable companies to detect when staff are not following Coronavirus rules, such as wearing a face mask or socially distancing. It’s not limited to the pandemic, however – in the future it could be used to monitor compliance with other workplace rules or, for example in a retail setting, monitor the behaviour of the public.

The AWS Panorama appliance plugs into internet protocol (IP) cameras – a standard type of digital video camera used by many companies on their sites. It can automate inspection tasks, such as detecting manufacturing defects or tracking the movement of barcodes and labels, but it can also be applied to people.

The company says the same technology can be used to monitor employees "and get notified immediately about any potential issues or unsafe situations [to] take pre-emptive action.”

On the downside, campaigners have raised privacy concerns. While the increase in remote working has seen more use of software that checks up on employees, this new tool is focused on tracking people and products in workplaces.

Amazon states that it is not a surveillance tool: a spokeswoman told the BBC it was designed to improve industrial operations and workplace safety, and that how it is used is up to customers.