Premise announces the retention of former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and his company to recommend measures to maximize contributor safety around the globe

Premise, the innovative platform that democratizes the way data is sourced, analyzed, and applied, announced the launch of a program aimed at maximizing the safety and security of its 3.5 million “contributor” gig workers operating around the globe, sometimes in developing nations without due process or the rule of law.

Premise has also retained Secretary Michael Chertoff and his global company, The Chertoff Group (“TCG”), to conduct an independent study over several months and offer recommendations to Premise as to how to improve contributor safety wherever they are choosing to do for-pay tasks. Secretary Chertoff’s credentials include serving as U.S. Homeland Security Secretary to President George W. Bush, a federal appellate judge, and a top Justice Department prosecutor.

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“We have always endeavored to make sure our tasks are completely legal and safe in whatever country they’re performed in,” said Blackman. “But it’s become increasingly clear that for certain authoritarian countries in the world, where our contributors need this supplemental income the most, what we’re doing is not enough.”

Regarding his firm’s retention by Premise to conduct an independent study and make recommendations to enhance contributor safety in the long term, Secretary Chertoff said:

“We are pleased to provide an independent assessment of Premise’s safety program. We will provide recommendations to align Premise’s safety protocols to authoritative frameworks and recognized best practices.”

In the interim and prior to Secretary Chertoff’s completion of his study, Premise’s CEO announced a series of immediate measures to help contributors who might be at risk despite the fact that the contributors are assigned to do only legal tasks such as completing surveys on their cell phones or to collecting publicly accessible data that all others in the community are able to access. These measures include notifying all of Premise’s contributors when they sign on to the app of a 24/7 help desk if there are any incidents of harassment or arrest.

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How Premise Works

Contributors around the world sign onto the company platform by downloading the Premise App from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Contributors agree to the terms of service and license agreements, which inform them that Premise owns all the data and can be shared or sold to any private company or government and international development customer. Premise contributors then have a menu of paid tasks, which vary based on their location, from which they can choose or not choose to complete.

The daily tasks Premise contributors can choose from include completing sentiment surveys on their phones, which can provide valuable insight to health care clinics or help governments overcome vaccine resistance. Or contributors can take publicly accessible photos, like any other resident, to detail how products within supermarkets are displayed, the location of public services such as hospitals across a city, and much more.

“We are proud that Premise is able to provide a meaningful source of income to so many of our contributors,” said Maury Blackman, CEO of Premise Data. “We regularly hear from our contributors on how much this supplemental source of income means to their livelihood, and we know that is especially true in those developing nations around the world that sometimes lack due process of law.”

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All Premise tasks that require contributors to leave their homes only request data that is both publicly accessible and lawful to collect, and Premise views contributor safety as critical to its success. Despite these efforts, there have been a small number of reported contributor arrests or detentions that have occurred over the last few years. While the total number of 25 incidents is small compared to Premise’s 3.5 million total contributors, even one arrest is of concern to Premise, which is why Premise has launched this program.

During the last three years, Premise has been instrumental in conducting needs assessment of informal Venezuelan settlements in Colombia, combatting vaccine hesitancy globally, working with coco buyers to root out forced and child labor in West Africa’s Ivory Coast, and working with global corporations to capture data related to their business operations. Premise also works closely with various departments in the U.S. and U.K governments to help them understand impact and shape better policies.