Atypical Employment and Disability in the Digital Economy: Accountability Gap Leaves Disabled App Developers’ Rights Unprotected

10 Pages Posted: 4 May 2020

See all articles by Jenny Krutzinna

Jenny Krutzinna

University of Bergen - Department of Administration and Organization Theory

Luciano Floridi

Yale University - Digital Ethics Center; University of Bologna- Department of Legal Studies

Date Written: September 27, 2018

Abstract

Although the employment situation of disabled people has widely been identified as in need of improvement, progress in this area remains slow. While some progress has been made in including the physically or sensory disabled in the workplace, other types of disability have been largely neglected. This applies particularly to disabled workers in atypical employment, such as those whose workplace is the Digital Economy. In this article, we discuss the case of disabled app developers as a significant example of how the current regulatory framework fails to be inclusive in its attempts to protect the rights of disabled Digital Economy workers. We identify two problems that are at the heart of this: first, a continuing failure to collect relevant and comprehensive data on disability, and second, a lack of accountability towards disabled workers in atypical employment. Consequently, we call for better data collection and argue for urgent policy changes to close the existing accountability gap.

Keywords: technology regulation, algorithms, digital economy, disability rights, soft law, platform regulation, atypical employment

Suggested Citation

Krutzinna, Jenny and Floridi, Luciano, Atypical Employment and Disability in the Digital Economy: Accountability Gap Leaves Disabled App Developers’ Rights Unprotected (September 27, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3256118 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3256118

Jenny Krutzinna (Contact Author)

University of Bergen - Department of Administration and Organization Theory ( email )

Norway

Luciano Floridi

Yale University - Digital Ethics Center ( email )

85 Trumbull Street
New Haven, CT CT 06511
United States
2034326473 (Phone)

University of Bologna- Department of Legal Studies ( email )

Via Zamboni 22
Bologna, Bo 40100
Italy

HOME PAGE: http://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/luciano.floridi/en

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