Platform scams: Brazilian workers’ experiences of dishonest and uncertain algorithmic management

Abstract

This article discusses how Brazilian platform workers experience and respond to platform scams through three case studies. Drawing from digital ethnographic research, vlogs/interviews of workers, and literature review, we argue for a conceptualization of “platform scam” that focuses on multiple forms of platform dishonesty and uncertainty. We characterize scam as a structuring element of the algorithmic management enacted by platform labor. The first case engages with when platforms scam workers by discussing Uber drivers’ experiences with the illusive surge pricing. The second case discusses when workers (have to) scam platforms by focusing on Amazon Mechanical Turk microworkers’ experiences with faking their identities. The third case presents when platforms lead workers to scam third parties, by engaging with how Brazilian click farm platforms’ workers use bots/fake accounts to engage with social media. Our focus on “platform scams” thus highlights the particular dimensions of faking, fraud, and deception operating in platform labor. This notion of platform scam expands and complexifies the understanding of scam within platform labor studies. Departing from workers’ experiences, we engage with the asymmetries and unequal power relations present in the algorithmic management of labor.

Click farm platforms

“…Some ads state: 'Follow the list of trusted Instagram account resellers with experience in the business' , 'We do not recommend buying from anyone not on the list as we do not know if they are trustworthy or honest' . This shows that workers try to protect each other against potential fraud or scams (Grohmann et al, 2022).…”

“…All these strategies taught by skill makers are related to the sale of social media accounts. This is one of the parallel markets in the context of click farm platforms, as many workers use fake accounts to work (Grohmann et al, 2022). Then, there are several sellers and resellers of social media accounts in WhatsApp groups, boosted by skill makers.…”

“…On the other hand, platforms like Instagram view such practices as breaking the rules and block suspicious accounts. Thus, workers who are blocked do not receive money from click farm platforms (Grohmann et al, 2022).…”

“…Click farm platforms promise 'real followers' to their customers. And they outsource these tasks to workers for less than a penny per task (Grohmann et al, 2022) They also act as parasite platforms in relation to the infrastructures of social media platforms, that is, in 'platform tree' (Van Dijck, 2021). In this way, workers are forced by the click farm platforms to scam social media platforms (Grohmann et al, 2022).…”

“…This is the gateway to multiple markets on and off the platforms. This process involves selling and buying fake accounts and bots, with the possibility for a worker to resell followers to another worker (Grohmann et al, 2022). WhatsApp groups act as hubs for parallel markets, which challenge the borders of illegality, which are always blurred or unclear.…”