Independent work: choice, necessity, and the gig economy

CONSUMER PROTECTIONS ARE ANOTHER AREA OF CONCERN
Another question is whether a shift to independent service providers may erode consumer 
protections that have been carefully developed over decades. Innovative digital business 
models have sometimes evolved faster than regulation, causing unintended consequences 
along the way. Privacy, data protection, the potential for fraud, and the enforcement of 
antidiscrimination protections are concerns; even personal safety can be an issue in markets 
where services are being performed in person. 
Because the history of many of these platforms is quite limited, consumers may face 
challenges seeking legal recourse and the ability to win compensation if they are injured 
or sustain losses in the course of doing business with an independent provider. It is also 
more difficult to enforce antidiscrimination protections and equal access for persons with 
disabilities among a host of small-scale providers. While traditional taxi services are required 
to make a certain percentage of their fleet wheelchair accessible, for example, digital 
intermediaries and the earners using those platforms are not held to the same rule. Many 
have taken steps to provide a similar level of compliance, but this is not legally required of 
them.
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Platforms can mitigate many of these risks through mechanisms such as transparently 
posting negative consumer ratings and feedback. But the history of digital platforms for 
personal services is still too early to be conclusive, and it will take careful monitoring to 
respond to some of the unforeseen consequences of innovative business models.