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Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

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Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#101

Post by dannyphantom »

throwawaysleep wrote: post #72
refulgentis wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but, frankly? That is a form of psychopathy. Please don't take that offensively. I'm not throwing the word around. I don't mean "evil". I don't think it's "evil", I'm even jealous. Not just of money. Of the rationality. The rest of us don't do this stuff because we'd feel horribly bad for doing it, to the point benefits would outweigh the costs. I'd hazard a guess that most people would also say it was fine giv…

Let me give you a new perspective. You get to see your dying father for just one week as that is all the vacation time you have left and you cannot just walk away from your job due to house/kids/etc. Happened to a friend. Father had 6 months to live. He got 1 week with him in that time. Pile of cash lets you walk away. How horrible will that make you feel to not get to spend that time with him? My employer, who I wil…

Fully agree with your ideas here; I suspect you and I to be around the same post college age. Is it a lack of morality about "screwing over employers"? No. It's not being disillusioned to the idea that being loyal reaps rewards. If you don't go out of your way to self advocate, you'll end up left far, far behind.

Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#102

Post by HWR_14 »

throwawaysleep wrote: post #62
bberenberg wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Congrats, you're the problem.

I fully agree. But society sends no signal that I am a problem beyond outrage when I admit it. Nobody would admonish me for being exactly the same without me mentioning it to them.

You're pretty early in your career to be so sure "there are no consequences for my actions". It's possible you'll get away with it. It's possible also that you'll get discovered, fired from all three jobs, and then have a situation where it becomes difficult to get a non-entry job because you don't have any experience you can refer to.

Also, what university was this? It doesn't sound like mine.

Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#103

Post by cldellow »

gumby wrote: post #56
bgibbons wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Refusing to be on web cam without a compelling reason is a huge red flag by itself.

There have been good A/B studies showing significant changes in response rate to resumes with and without photos. How someone looks doesn't seem like it should be correlated with their ability to draw a picture or choose a search algorithm.

This is true.

It's also true that Upwork has many, many people who will present themselves as a single individual. Instead, they are actually an agency and you will get a rotating cast of developers. This becomes apparent the fifth time you explain the same thing to your contractor, who is actually not the person you explained it to the fourth time, or the third time, or on and on and on.

Video verification helps you ensure that you are getting what you paid for, and that your time explaining the brief and iterating on their work isn't wasted.

Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#104

Post by djohnston »

gumby wrote: post #56
bgibbons wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Refusing to be on web cam without a compelling reason is a huge red flag by itself.

There have been good A/B studies showing significant changes in response rate to resumes with and without photos. How someone looks doesn't seem like it should be correlated with their ability to draw a picture or choose a search algorithm.

Refusing to show up on a webcam is undoubtedly correlated with liklihood of fraud and misrepresentation. I suppose "this is why we can't have nice things."

Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#105

Post by clucas »

throwawaysleep wrote: post #62
bberenberg wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Congrats, you're the problem.

I fully agree. But society sends no signal that I am a problem beyond outrage when I admit it. Nobody would admonish me for being exactly the same without me mentioning it to them.

> society sends no signal that I am a problem beyond outrage when I admit it

Aren't you only admitting it to people who can't DO anything about you, except express outrage? Why don't you tell your boss your scheme, and see if they only thing they do is "express outrage"? Your behavior is very anti-social, and your rationalizations for why it's OK are very weak.

Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#106

Post by mzagaja »

This happened to me and I sent a notice to Upwork's legal department demanding a takedown. Using my likeness to make money is a violation of Massachusetts Right of Publicity law (https://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/massachusetts-right-publici...) so I would be entitled to any profits made by Upwork for using my likeness. It is possible and likely your jurisdiction may have similar laws, and if your likeness is being used, do not hesitate to deploy them to expedite these takedowns.

Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#107

Post by celim307 »

gumby wrote: post #56
bgibbons wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Refusing to be on web cam without a compelling reason is a huge red flag by itself.

There have been good A/B studies showing significant changes in response rate to resumes with and without photos. How someone looks doesn't seem like it should be correlated with their ability to draw a picture or choose a search algorithm.

I adamantly am a camera off person but am shame to admit I do add my photo to resume, it really did make responses from companies night and day

Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#108

Post by camdat »

reaperducer wrote: post #90
jamiek88 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I admire your anonymous candor.

I'd call it cowardice since he's hiding behind a pseudonym. Let him tell his employers what's going on and see if he feels the same way. As my grandmother used to say, "If you have to hide it, it's probably wrong."

Would you expect the same level of candor from your employer? If the answer is no then you owe them nothing.

Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#109

Post by zizee »

mgkimsal wrote: post #43
aarbor989 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yea, Upwork said they can't disclose to me what action(s) they took "due to account privacy" You mean...the account privacy of someone pretending to be me?

20 years ago, someone stole my credit card information and bought some stuff as me. I'm in Michigan, and they sent a bed and mattress to Florida. I called the store first, asking about the charge. Verified some part of the card number, name the order was under, etc... I asked what address it was sent to. "We can't tell you that. Our privacy policy prevents that". Me: "So... you're charging what is my credit card, you…

To be fair to the store, their privacy policy was likely designed to stop things like abusive spouses/parents tracking down people who they gave permission to use a card.

Re: Tell HN: Upwork has an impersonation problem

#110

Post by HWR_14 »

refulgentis wrote: post #94
throwawaysleep wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me give you a new perspective. You get to see your dying father for just one week as that is all the vacation time you have left and you cannot just walk away from your job due to house/kids/etc. Happened to a friend. Father had 6 months to live. He got 1 week with him in that time. Pile of cash lets you walk away. How horrible will that make you feel to not get to spend that time with him? My employer, who I wil…

I feel this very very very much, I wish we could talk in person, I am tortured every day by this exact problem. I am very jealous of people who are "that rational" "are able to adopt that perspective". To my point, people don't do this even though everyone knows it, and its obvious, because....:(

FYI, it's not a rationality question. This involves ethical questions you can rationally argue about.
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