EFF: Principles for Corporate Platforms in the Gig Economy
Principles for Corporate Platforms in the Gig Economy From ride-hailing platforms like Lyft and Uber, to sites like Airbnb, FlipKey, or VRBO that enable occupants to rent properties, the so-called sharing or gig economy is expanding and disrupting industries from hotels to taxis. Cities across the U.S.—and the rest of the world —are facing a daunting array of regulatory challenges in responding to their growth. The ongoing saga of scooter-sharing services suggests a foreseeable pattern…. Earlier this year, a new class of companies prompted controversies by flooding several cities with personal scooters available on a short-term rental basis. Advances in battery technology recently made the business model of companies like Bird and Lime profitable. In the absence of regulation, the companies deployed thousands of scooters to selected cities across the world . A resulting backlash included municipal regulation , a recent class action lawsuit , and even acts of vandalism ranging fro...