Although it would seem straightforward that the laws protecting workers should also apply to workers in what is described as the ‘gig economy’ or ‘platform-based work’, there is much debate – and confusion – on this issue…Depicting work in the platform economy as a mere ‘sharing of favours’ conveys an image of the gig economy as a sort of parallel dimension, where chores are amateurishly carried out as a form of leisure, with no relation to ‘work’. The reality, however, is different. For most workers, platform-based work is an essential source of income…

Self-regulation by the platforms, as is currently the case, cannot ensure better working conditions…Moreover, unless authorities step in…platforms will continue to have an advantage over traditional industries, risking a deterioration of working conditions that extends beyond platform-based work.

But how to regulate?...The technology that has allowed parcelling and distributing work to ‘the crowd’ can also be used to regulate the work and provide protection to workers…This same technology can thus also be used to ensure that workers earn at least the minimum wage or ideally to regulate the wage agreed collectively by the workers and the platform...