> it's absurd to think you have, or even deserve, to use someone else's property for whatever you want
How you read this into my comment is beyond me. An employee cannot use the company-provided resources in whatever way they like. If they do, that's grounds for termination.
German labor laws recognize that total surveillance is not aligning with the values of a free society. Life does not stop at work, every company event should tell you that. Instead there needs to be indications that the employee is acting in bad faith, then the employer can "surveil" the employee in a limited fashion, like read work emails (not private emails) or search their desk. The same as police cannot search you whenever they like without reason.