Time to deliver answers: An open letter to Just Eat Takeaway, Uber and Deliveroo

Algorithmic management of workers has become the norm for gig-economy platforms, with workers obligated to give up an immense amount of personal data just to go to work. Decisions made by these algorithms can determine how much individuals are paid and even whether their employment or accounts are suspended or terminated. Yet, workers are often not provided with satisfactory explanations as to how these decisions are made. This lack of transparency means that decisions made through the "black-box" of an algorithm are seemingly impossible to challenge.

Today, Privacy International and 11 other organisations including the Trade Unions Congress, and Amnesty International are calling on food delivery platforms to step up and change this status quo. With three clear recommendations to implement, these platforms have an opportunity to lead the way and demonstrate that they respect their workforce, their rights, autonomy and dignity. 

Dear Deliveroo, Just Eat Takeaway, and Uber, 

We, the undersigned, believe that companies should respect their workers. We believe that you should respect your workers. Each one of you are a market leader. And each of you claim to care, variously promising you 'believe in doing business responsibly and having a positive impact', that you will put the voice of the rider at the heart of everything' or 'will ensure that we treat our customers, our colleagues, and our cities with respect; and [...] will run our business with passion, humility, and integrity'. 

But this has yet to be borne out in your business practices, which have lead to millions of euros in fines for obstructing drivers' attempts to enforce their rights, and for systemically inappropriate data processing, along with de-activating accounts by automated systems for minor overpayments. 

Instead, you are automating exploitation - leveraging black box algorithms to make decisions about de-activation, work allocation and pay without sufficient explanation, stripping workers of the ability to understand and challenge those decisions. 

We believe the foundation of respect is transparency. Yet current systems withhold vital information from workers - creating precarity, stress, and misery. 

We believe a responsible employer should: 

1) Maintain a public register of the algorithms used to manage workers 

This is key to allow workers to understand what algorithms they could be subjected to, and begin to address the information asymmetry. 

2) Accompany all algorithmic decisions with an explanation of the most important reasons behind the decision and how they they can be challenged 

This should allow workers to challenge decisions that might be unfair or flawed, help workers better understand the decisions that are impacting them and meet the expectations of the companies they work for. 

3) Allow workers, their representatives and public interest groups to test how the algorithms work 

Algorithms can be complex, and that complexity means that they can lead to results that are difficult to understand and create systemic discrimination. Allowing people to test them will help to more deeply understand the impact on those affected by algorithms, including potential harms that they may cause. 

Politicians are starting to wake up. The EU's Platform Workers' directive, the EU's AI Act, Spain's Rider law are all taking steps to better safeguard worker's rights. But why wait to be pushed, when you could start treating your workers right, right now? Why wait for the fines and the enforcement - that are coming - when you could take positive steps right now. 

We urge you to take your responsibilities to your workforce seriously. Workers need to be able to understand the decisions that affect them, particularly when it comes to the working hours and pay that are vital to their livelihoods. 

As market leaders we believe you have the power to reshape the markets in which you operate, and to create a fairer, better world. It is power you should use responsibly. 

Yours sincerely, 

• Privacy International
• Trades Union Congress
• Open Rights Group
• Worker Info Exchange
• Platform Labor project
• The Autonomy Institute
• Independent Workers Union of Great Britain
• reversing.works
• Amnesty International
• So.De social delivery
• Hermes Center
• App Drivers And Couriers Union

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You can help make this happen by sharing this campaign and tagging Delivery, Uber Eats and Just Eat so that they cannot ignore this call for change.

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It's #TimetoDeliverAnswers on algorithmic transparency @JustEatTakeaway, @Deliveroo, and @UberEats https://pvcy.org/deliveranswers

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