Incident 94: Court Rules Deliveroo Used 'Discriminatory' Algorithm
Entities
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Taxonomy DetailsFull Description
In December 2020, an Italian court ruled that an algorithm used by Deliveroo, a popular app-based bicycle food delivery company, resulted in discriminatory employee management. The case – brought by Italian labor group Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL) – centered on the app’s algorithm to assign delivery workers a “reliability rating.” The rating was based in part on how much notice the employees gave before cancelling shifts and was used to determine preference order in future shift scheduling. The Tribunale Ordinario di Bologna decided that because the employees were not allowed to give justification for cancellations, Deliveroo was illegally discrimination against those with legitimate reasons for rescheduling.
Short Description
In December 2020, an Italian court ruled that Deliveroo’s employee ‘reliability’ algorithm illegally discriminated against workers with legitimate reasons for cancelling shifts.
Severity
Moderate
Harm Distribution Basis
Other:Those with emegencies, illness, unexpected circumstances
Harm Type
Harm to civil liberties
AI System Description
Deliveroo's machine learning algorithm used to calculate employees' 'reliability' rating.
System Developer
Deliveroo
Sector of Deployment
Accommodation and food service activities
Relevant AI functions
Cognition, Action
AI Techniques
machine learning
AI Applications
data analytics, optimization, decision making
Location
Italy
Named Entities
Deliveroo, Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, Tribunale Ordinario di Bologna
Technology Purveyor
Deliveroo
Beginning Date
11/2020
Ending Date
12/2020
Near Miss
Harm caused
Intent
Accident
Lives Lost
No
Laws Implicated
Italian employee fairness law
Data Inputs
employee activity history, shift schedules
Incident Reports
Reports Timeline
- View the original report at its source
- View the report at the Internet Archive
A court in Italy has dealt a blow to unalloyed algorithmic management after a legal challenge brought by three unions. The Bologna court ruled that a reputational-ranking algorithm used by on-demand food delivery platform Deliveroo discrimi…
- View the original report at its source
- View the report at the Internet Archive
An algorithm used by the popular European food delivery app Deliveroo to rank and offer shifts to riders is discriminatory, an Italian court ruled late last week, in what some experts are calling a historic decision for the gig economy. The…
