Designing Sousveillance Tools for Gig Workers (2403.09986v2)

Abstract: As independently-contracted employees, gig workers disproportionately suffer the consequences of workplace surveillance, which include increased pressures to work, breaches of privacy, and decreased digital autonomy. Despite the negative impacts of workplace surveillance, gig workers lack the tools, strategies, and workplace social support to protect themselves against these harms. Meanwhile, some critical theorists have proposed sousveillance as a potential means of countering such abuses of power, whereby those under surveillance monitor those in positions of authority (e.g., gig workers collect data about requesters/platforms). To understand the benefits of sousveillance systems in the gig economy, we conducted semi-structured interviews and led co-design activities with gig workers. We use "care ethics" as a guiding concept to understand our interview and co-design data, while also focusing on empathic sousveillance technology design recommendations. Through our study, we identify gig workers' attitudes towards and past experiences with sousveillance. We also uncover the type of sousveillance technologies imagined by workers, provide design recommendations, and finish by discussing how to create empowering, empathic spaces on gig platforms.

• The paper reveals gig workers' informal sousveillance practices as a countermeasure to platform surveillance while emphasizing ethical design.
• It employs semi-structured interviews and co-design sessions to identify challenges like time consumption and restrictive legal policies.
• The study recommends integrating automated features and care ethics to enhance worker autonomy and emotional well-being.

Designing Empathic Sousveillance Tools for Gig Workers: Integrating Care Ethics into Gig Economy Platforms

Introduction

The gig economy, characterized by its flexible work arrangements, has grown exponentially due to the digitization of employment and the rise of online gig platforms. However, this rapid development has also introduced complex challenges regarding workers’ privacy, surveillance, and autonomy. This paper, authored by researchers from Northeastern University, IBM Research, and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), explores the field of sousveillance—essentially surveillance conducted by the surveilled (gig workers) as opposed to the surveillers (platforms or requesters)—as a potential countermeasure to the harms inflicted by pervasive surveillance practices within the gig economy. By employing semi-structured interviews and co-design sessions with gig workers, the paper uncovers insights into the workers' perceptions, experiences, and expectations of sousveillance technologies, culminating in recommendations for designing empathetic sousveillance tools grounded in care ethics.

Sousveillance as a Tool for Gig Workers

The research illuminates how gig workers currently engage in sousveillance activities, often as a means to gain insights into requesters’ profiles, verify job opportunities, and safeguard against scams. Notably, these sousveillance practices are mostly informal and ad hoc, relying on available online information and social networks. Despite recognizing the potential of sousveillance to enhance transparency and accountability on gig platforms, workers are constrained by the lack of dedicated, user-friendly, and ethical sousveillance tools. Moreover, their sousveillance efforts are often hampered by the overarching legal and policy frameworks of gig platforms, which may restrict such practices or penalize workers for engaging in them.

Challenges and Concerns with Current Sousveillance Practices

The paper identifies several key challenges and concerns associated with current sousveillance practices among gig workers:

• Time and Effort: Workers find sousveillance to be time-consuming and labor-intensive, which detracts from their primary work activities.
• Legal and Policy Restrictions: Platform policies and legal considerations limit the extent and nature of sousveillance that workers can conduct.
• Impact on Worker-Requester Relationships: Workers are cautious about how their sousveillance activities might be perceived by requesters and are wary of potential negative impacts on their professional relationships.
• Emotional Toll: Learning distressing information about requesters or realizing the extent of unpaid labor can have adverse emotional effects on workers.

Recommendations for Designing Worker-Centered Sousveillance Tools

Drawing from the insights gathered through interviews and co-design sessions, the paper proposes several design recommendations for creating more empathetic and effective sousveillance tools for gig workers:

• Balancing Data Accuracy with Ethical Considerations: Tools should provide accurate and comprehensive information about requesters while ensuring that the collection and use of such data adhere to ethical standards and respect privacy.
• Facilitating Open Dialogue: Sousveillance tools should facilitate transparent communication between workers and requesters regarding the purposes and benefits of sousveillance, aiming to build mutual trust and understanding.
• Emphasizing Worker Well-being: Instead of solely focusing on job metrics or requester information, sousveillance tools should also support workers' emotional and physical well-being, offering reminders for breaks, health tips, and emotional support.
• Automated and Predictive Features: To reduce the burden on workers, sousveillance tools could incorporate automated features that preemptively gather and analyze data based on individual preferences and past experiences.

Implications and Future Directions

The paper underscores the potential of sousveillance as an empowering tool for gig workers, provided that it is carefully designed to address their unique needs and challenges. By integrating principles of care ethics, these tools can promote not only transparency and accountability but also foster a more compassionate and collaborative gig economy. Future research should focus on the implementation and evaluation of the proposed design recommendations, exploring the impact of empathetic sousveillance tools on the well-being and autonomy of gig workers. Additionally, there is a need to investigate the policy and legal reforms required to support the ethical use of sousveillance in gig work.

In conclusion, this paper contributes valuable insights into the potential of sousveillance as a means to empower gig workers, highlighting the importance of ethical considerations and care ethics in the design of such tools. As the gig economy continues to evolve, developing worker-centric sousveillance technologies could play a critical role in ensuring fair and equitable work conditions for all participants.