4. Ethics and crowdsourcing

4.1 Controversies

The subject of crowdsourcing can be a relatively sensitive one, especially when the tasks resulting from this process compete head-on with the work of professionals. The impression that amateurs are doing the work of professionals for next to nothing is quite frustrating for some professions. Crowdsourcing is often seen as an extreme form of outsourcing, exploiting the most disadvantaged populations.

The first professions to be affected were photographers, who had to radically rethink their working methods in the face of competition from image databases such as Getty Images.

Controversy has also arisen over the use to which crowdsourcing is put. In some cases, the power of the crowd can help police carry out tedious...