Internet gigs another cost of Russia war – The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

When Arina, a 22-year-old illustrator in Russia, first started using the freelance work platform Upwork last year, it changed her life.”It was like opening a door into another world for me,” she said, speaking on the condition that her last name not be used out of fear of government repercussions. Upwork connected her with clients in India, the United States, Australia and Germany, allowing her to make a living in a field in which she had struggled to find work locally.But last week, Upwork abruptly pulled out of Russia. For more than a decade, American and European tech companies have made a business of facilitating online labor — from gig work to content creation and online marketplaces to payment processors. Now, tens of thousands of Russian video game streamers on Twitch, gig workers on Upwork, adult-content creators on OnlyFans and computer programmers working on contract have all lost their livelihoods, at least temporarily.The gig work companies acted in response to demands from lawmakers and public sentiment against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some cited the restrictions that sanctions had placed on processing payments and depositing funds in Russian banks.”Russia’s unprovoked war against the people of Ukraine has put us in a…
Read More