What life as a gig worker for a food delivery app is actually like, plus four other Sunday reads

When algorithms dictate your work: Life as a food delivery ‘partner’

Food delivery services have long been one of the most visible sectors of India’s burgeoning gig economy, with that trend only becoming more visible as a result of Covid-19 pandemics. And with yet another battle between services to offer short-turnaround grocery delivery, it is clear that the reliance on a host of young workers on bikes and mopeds racing through our cities to delivery goods as fast as they can is only going to increase.

But what is it actually like to be a ‘delivery executive’? For Entrackr, Soumyarendra Barik accompanied one delivery worker all day to get a sense of how the algorithm dictates their lives, what the earnings are actually like, and what gig work means for the lakhs hoping to actually make a living off of it.

More here.

What should Facebook and Twitter do about the Taliban?

Because the United States labels the Taliban as a “specially designated global terrorist”, Facebook has banned all praise and support of the organisation. What happens now that the Taliban are actually in control of a country? What if they receive official recognition from a number of other governments and international bodies? Should…

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