Contesting Digital Labour: Resistance, counter-uses, and new directions for research - 2025
In what ways can data sharing and portability benefit gig economy workers?
About the event
'Contesting Digital Labour' is the theme of the eighth annual International Digital Labour Network (IDLN) conference, taking place at the University of Bologna in Italy from the 10th to the 12 of September 2025.
As emphasised by the organisers, algorithms and digital technologies are shaping a new labour regime characterised by data extraction, widespread surveillance and strict control of workers. However, they are also bringing about an unexpected resurgence of labour conflicts, with workers, grass roots organisations, and traditional trade unions taking the lead.
In this context, apps, tools and software have been developed to help workers understand and improve their working conditions. One aspect of this is data sharing.
From this perspective, Martijn Arets, a platform expert who is part of the WageIndicator Gig Economy team, will participate and present his action research on data portability for gig economy workers.
Titled 'Making Data Move: Action Research on Data Portability in the Gig Economy', the research forms part of his work at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
Data portability enables platform workers to transfer their ratings and reputation profiles when they switch platforms. In addition, they can use this data as proof of work experience when seeking work outside the gig economy. This mitigates the lock-in effect, whereby a worker's reputation can restrict their mobility and innovation, considering that platform workers with good ratings and reviews are trusted more, resulting in more work and higher pay. At the same time, data sharing strengthens the platform's value proposition and makes it more attractive for workers to join.
At the core of Martijn Arets's research is the GigCV data-sharing agreement, which is supported by an API and a set of legal documents. To date, 30,000 CVs have been downloaded from this agreement.
Learn more about Martijn's research here.
Date
10th September 2025, 5 pm CET (Martijn Arets' Presentation)
Place
Bologna, Italy
