...Launched in May 2025, this Equidem brief exposes the systemic abuse faced by food delivery riders and data workers—such as content moderators and data labellers—who are hired through third-party logistics (3PL) and outsourcing (BPO) firms. Drawing on interviews with over 200 workers across the Gulf, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, it reveals how global platforms like Meta and OpenAI outsource labour to evade responsibility, resulting in widespread forced labour risks, unsafe conditions, wage theft, and retaliation against those who try to organise.

The brief urges the International Labour Conference (ILC) and national regulators to recognise these workers under international labour standards, hold lead firms jointly accountable with their intermediaries, prohibit the use of NDAs to silence abuse, and extend full protections for occupational health, safety, and the right to organise...