US Freelancer revolt

[accounting234]

I am a US based freelancer trying to get jobs.  The majority of the posted jobs in Accounting are now formatted "only freelancers based in US may apply."  I don't want to share my personal information.  Upwork can not guarantee the safeguards against hacking.  Some of the jobs have 5-10 submissions.  This exclusion hurts the freelance and the client.  Upwork needs to make some change here.  Or, I need to find another board.

[jmlaidlaw]

@ Debbie --

I don't understand. If you are based in the U.S., then clients are already aware of that fact. When you apply to a U.S.-only job posting, you are (therefore) revealing nothing new to a client.

While there may be many reasons to object to the recent introduction of this U.S.-only job posting feature, your own objection seems moot. It would be like my objecting to a job-posting feature that restricts applicants to those whose first initial is "J," and basing my complaint on the idea that "I don't want to share my personal information."

[charles_kozierok]

You're concerned because clients will know you are in the US?

Last time I checked.. it was a pretty big place.

[prestonhunter]

re: "I don't want to share my personal information.  Upwork can not guarantee the safeguards against hacking."

I think Debbie is trying to say that she does not want to participate in programs that verify her address as being in the United States... suggesting that Upwork can not guarantee against hacking.

I am willing to believe that she is sincere.

I DO NOT SHARE this concern.

Upwork maintains vast amounts of information that should not be hacked, such as bank account and credit card information. PayPal account data. Payoneer, etc. Data used so that freelancers can withdraw money. Data used so that clients can make payments using their credit cards.

Upwork has social security numbers and other information related to government records and tax-paying.

These are all part of how Upwork works. It is impossible for Upwork to do what it does without these data.

So for me, the idea of verifying my address in the United States is a trivial addition to all that.

[jmlaidlaw]

Okay -- I think I understand, now. Debbie is perhaps objecting to the need to verify her address as being within the U.S. --?-- 

Sorry. That was not clear to me from Debbie's original post. (If, in fact, that is her objection.) However, I must agree with Charles: The U.S. is an awfully spacious location, and it seems to me that little mischief can come from a client being aware that a freelancer is located somewhere within this geographic region. That, however, is my opinion. YMMV.

[bobafett999]

Sorry, but I do not understand the posting.  It is way above my little head.

[petra_r]

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@Debbie K wrote:

I am a US based freelancer trying to get jobs.  The majority of the posted jobs in Accounting are now formatted "only freelancers based in US may apply."  I don't want to share my personal information. 

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 Well, don't then. You don't have to, initially anyway.

If you don't, you're no worse off than the freelancers in the rest of the world, who can't apply for those jobs either.

[afifield]

+1 for Petra, if only I could give her a kudos, but for some reason doing so redirects me to the job postings on upworks.

Edit: well that was a weird bug, works now. I got redirected about 3-4 times. 

In any case, I'd love to be able to apply for those jobs that have been taken away from other freelancers to go to the US only feed, so if I were Debbie, I'd just go ahead and get verified with my info. Hey, we have to give private info to everyone today to get anything really. I don't think they should be asking for all of that or even doing the US only jobs, but you have to use your information all the time to get work, pay for things, etc. We live in a digital world, just take the precautions on your own system to prevent people from hacking you. Upworks obviously have a system in place to prevent loss of information to hackers, but if you are a afraid of giving them the information, then just don't do it, and as Petra pointed out, if you don't, your no worse off than the rest of us who aren't in the bubble. 

[aocumen]

I'm sorry to know you feel this way, Debbie. If you are uncomfortable verifying your location, you are free not to complete it. However, you will limit yourself from bidding for jobs that require a freelancer in the U.S. 

[versailles]

US Freelancer revolt

—Karl Marx

[richard_wein]

Replying to old post...

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@Rene K wrote:

US Freelancer revolt

—Karl Marx

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 I think he actually said:

Freelancers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your segregated job market advantage.

[researchediting]

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@Rene K wrote:

US Freelancer revolt

—Karl Marx

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..."You have nothing to lose but your gains." 

[petra_r]

The most "interesting" part...

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@Debbie K wrote:

  The majority of the posted jobs in Accounting are now formatted "only freelancers based in US may apply."

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[jolouburn]

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@Petra R wrote:

The most "interesting" part...

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@Debbie K wrote:

  The majority of the posted jobs in Accounting are now formatted "only freelancers based in US may apply."

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 Agreed.

If this turns into 'the majority of the posted jobs are now formatted only freelancers based in the US may apply' it's going to suck.

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[ilyas2010]

Things with freelancers residing outside US are going south now! This needs to be addressed. Last year I have many expert finance areas job but this year, the ratio has fallen.

[yitwail]

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@Joanne B wrote:

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@Petra R wrote:

The most "interesting" part...

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@Debbie K wrote:

  The majority of the posted jobs in Accounting are now formatted "only freelancers based in US may apply."

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 Agreed.

If this turns into 'the majority of the posted jobs are now formatted only freelancers based in the US may apply' it's going to suck.

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That would be revolting.