Recital 8

Automated monitoring systems and automated decision-making systems powered by algorithms increasingly replace functions that managers usually perform in businesses, such as allocating tasks, pricing individual assignments, determining working schedules, giving instructions, evaluating the work performed, providing incentives or applying adverse treatment. Digital labour platforms, in particular, use such algorithmic systems as a standard way of organising and managing platform work through their infrastructure. Persons performing platform work subject to such algorithmic management often do not have access to information on how the algorithms work, which personal data are used or how the behaviour of those persons affects decisions taken by automated systems. Furthermore, workers’ representatives, other representatives of persons performing platform work, labour inspectorates and other competent authorities do not have access to such information. Moreover, persons performing platform work often do not know the reasons for decisions taken or supported by automated systems and are not able to obtain an explanation for those decisions, to discuss those decisions with a human contact person, to contest those decisions or to seek rectification or, where relevant, redress.