Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

A man who rates Google search results said he makes $3 less per hour than his daughter working in fast food

A man who rates Google search results said he makes $3 less per hour than his daughter working in fast food

One rater told The Los Angeles Times that he and his colleagues "make some of the lowest wages in the US" and often handle very sensitive content.
A man who rates Google search results to weed out dangerous and inappropriate content said he gets paid $3 less per hour than his daughter who works at a fast food job.

Ed Stackhouse, a "rater" employed by Appen, a data company for machine learning development, told The Los Angeles Times he and his colleagues "make some of the lowest wages in the US." Appen's only client is Google, the Times reported, but Google works with several contractors, and doesn't decide pay and benefits for raters as they are not considered company employees.

"Raters" help Google "categorize information to improve our systems," which means Stackhouse sometimes has to review violent or pornographic content, he told the outlet. He said raters who don't want to view pornographic content "might see your tasks diminished," so most of them don't ask to limit what they work on.

"There are times that I have seen some of the graphic content replayed in my dreams," Stackhouse told the Times. "This is why I never work late at night anymore. Twice in my 10 years, I have seen child porn but thank God that is ultra-rare. I would quit."

Stackhouse is in the Alphabet Workers Union, which is currently asking that raters — who the union says "earn poverty wages, with no benefits" — be treated with "the same dignity, respect, and justice" as other workers who make up Google's workforce.

Raters make between $10 to $12 an hour, but after months of protests, some received raises in January to between $14 and $14.50 an hour.

Google says it has over 10,000 raters around the world, but some raters told Forbes they estimated only 3,000 to 5,000 raters got a raise, adding they didn't know how many raters work at Appen. The AWU told Forbes it didn't think raters at other companies who have contracts with Google got raises.

In April 2019, Google announced a minimum standard wage of $15 per hour or more for its extended workforce in the US, meaning even with the raise, workers are still not receiving the standard. However, raters work part-time and do not have access to Google's systems or badges, meaning the company's wages and benefits policy do not apply to them.

Parul Koul — a software engineer at Google and executive chair of the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA — told Insider in a statement that any employee doing work for the company "should not be struggling to make ends meet."

"We stand with Google raters and uplift their demand that Google include our members and coworkers in their own minimum standards of benefits and meet directly with workers to negotiate the fair working conditions they deserve," Koul said.

Stackhouse didn't immediately reply to Insider's request for comment. According to his LinkedIn, Stackhouse is based out of Asheville, North Carolina, where the living wage for one adult with one child is $39.49. Currently, minimum wage in Buncombe County, NC is $7.25. Stackhouse didn't tell the Los Angeles Times how much his daughter makes or what her role at her fast food job is.

According to the Times, Stackhouse has a serious heart condition that requires medical management, but he is ineligible for benefits because Appen caps his hours at 26 per week, making him a part-time employee.

Appen did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Stackhouse told the outlet he's starting to see search results written by Bard, the AI chatbot Google is testing as it competes with Microsoft's new Bing that it launched in partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI.

In January, Time reported that OpenAI used Kenyan workers, outsourced by AI firm Sama, to flag sensitive and toxic content. Four Sama workers told Time they were paid $2 or less per hour. Sama ended its partnership with OpenAI after the discovery in February 2022.

Sama also works with Google and Microsoft, and told Time it would stop working with graphic content by March 2023.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×