Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 281 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in December 2022 and provides metadata for each entry, such as geographical scope, year, type of initiative, actors involved, sector and companies concerned. Initiatives include legal instruments such as legislative changes or court decisions, as well as voluntary interventions undertaken by different stakeholders to address issues around platform work.
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The database currently contains 281 entries and was last updated in December 2022.
The Industry Sharing Safety Programme was introduced by Uber and Lyft to enhance the safety for both customers and the entire ride-sharing industry. Under this programme, Uber and Lyft will share data with each other about the drivers who have been deactivated for most serious incidents, such as sexual assault or physical assault resulting in fatalities. The programme will refer to Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence Taxonomy from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) when classifying incident reports.
The Industry Sharing Safety Programme was announced by Uber and Lyft on 11 March 2021. Under this programme, Uber and Lyft will share data with each other about the drivers who have been deactivated for most serious incidents, such as sexual assault or physical assault resulting in fatalities. The programme will refer to Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence Taxonomy from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) when classifying incident reports.
The programme seeks to enhance the safety not only for customers but for the entire ride-sharing industry. According to Uber’s 2018 safety report, 3,045 sexual assaults, which were related to the five most serious categories in the Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence Taxonomy, were recorded in the US in 2018.
To protect individuals from data privacy issues, information sharing will be administered by HireRight, a third-party background screening company which will manage the data collection process from each company, as well as the data matching and sharing between the two companies. The third-party company will also need to ensure that each ride-sharing company is complying with best practices, which is guided by NSVRC’s taxonomy report and other expert research in sexual violence prevention field.
According to Uber’s Chief Legal Officer, the information shared through the safety programme is strictly limited to the basis of deactivation and only suffices the information need to match the driver with other platforms. Importantly, information related to victims will not the included in the database.
The programme is also available for other transportation and delivery companies in the US, provided the companies agree to specific requirements such as:
The programmed is welcomed by several groups, including the National Action Network.
Further reading:
The platform economy is one of those moving targets, which, despite receiving increasing media and policy attention, has proven difficult to regulate. Given the heterogeneity of employment relationships, business models, types of platform work and cross-border issues, this is not surprising.
Technological change is accelerating as the capacity of electronic devices to digitally store, process and communicate information expands. Digitalisation is transforming the EU economy and labour markets: nearly one-third of EU workplaces are categorised as highly digitalised. What are the implications of the digital revolution for employment and work?
The rapid rise of the platform economy has led to a marked transformation of European labour markets, and existing regulatory frameworks and voluntary initiatives have yet to catch up. While platform work offers opportunities for workers and employers and potentially contributes to innovation, economic growth and competitiveness in the EU, it has been criticised from the beginning because of the poor employment and working conditions often experienced by workers.
While 2020 may come to be seen as the year platform work gathered pace and started to go mainstream – thanks in large part to COVID-19 containment measures sparking an increase in food and grocery delivery – 2021 could be the year that regulation of platform work is set in motion.
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