Turkopticon: interrupting worker invisibility in amazon mechanical turk
Abstract
As HCI researchers have explored the possibilities of human computation, they have paid less attention to ethics and values of crowdwork. This paper offers an analysis of Amazon Mechanical Turk, a popular human computation system, as a site of technically mediated worker-employer relations. We argue that human computation currently relies on worker invisibility. We then present Turkopticon, an activist system that allows workers to publicize and evaluate their relationships with employers. As a common infrastructure, Turkopticon also enables workers to engage one another in mutual aid. We conclude by discussing the potentials and challenges of sustaining activist technologies that intervene in large, existing socio-technical systems.
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Turkopticon was originally created as an activist tool for MTurk workers to evaluate their employers and later transformed into a worker-run advocacy group providing resources and infrastructure for MTurk worker communities.
“Turkopticon is a notable example [69], which was originally created as an activist tool for MTurk workers to evaluate their employers, and has later transformed into a worker-run advocacy group that provides vital resources and infrastructure for MTurk worker communities.”
From 'The plan is just survival': Data Work in Kenya and the Regime of Entrapment (2026) · cites this paper as [69]
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References 46 · Cited by 798
- Authors
- Irani, L. C., & Silberman, M. S.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Bureau of Economic Interpretation, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Venue
- Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
- Publisher
- ACM
- Published
- 2013-04-27
- Pages
- 611-620
- OpenAlex
- W2147603330
- Cited by
- 798
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 49 · 2025: 62 · 2024: 57 · 2023: 81 · 2022: 94 · 2021: 88 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 65 · 2018: 65 · 2017: 61 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 38 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 21.97
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (1025761)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Science Applications › Mobile Crowdsensing and Crowdsourcing
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Economy and Work Transformation
- Keywords
- Amazon Mechanical Turk, human computation, crowdwork, worker-employer relations, mutual aid, socio-technical systems
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