Hundreds of freelancers on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform found themselves unable to work following widespread account suspensions linked to a suspected glitch in the payment system.
Starting on May 16, 2024, numerous MTurk workers based in the U.S. received notifications of account suspensions from Amazon, effectively locking them out of their accounts and preventing them from completing tasks on the platform. MTurk, owned by Amazon, enables businesses, or “requesters,” to delegate various tasks to a global pool of workers, including data annotation, surveys, content moderation, and artificial intelligence training.
According to conversations with affected workers, reported issues were allegedly connected to complications with their Amazon Payments accounts, which facilitate wage reception and purchases from Amazon. One suspension notification shared with Computer Weekly stated: “Your Amazon Payments account has been suspended. You will not be able to use Amazon Mechanical Turk until your Amazon Payments account is in good standing.”
Initially perceived as an isolated incident, the situation gained traction as workers began communicating through Turkopticon, an advocacy organization representing MTurk workers. They soon discovered that the account suspensions were widespread, impacting multiple users simultaneously around late August. Following the release of a feedback form on August 25, Turkopticon collected approximately 150 reports from workers who had lost access to their accounts, a number that surged to 305 by early September.
While a few dozen accounts were reinstated in the weeks following the suspensions, many workers remained locked out, with only 146 reported reinstatements as of publication, according to Turkopticon. The affected workers expressed frustration due to Amazon’s lack of transparency about the issue, believing it was likely a glitch within the payment system.
In response to inquiries about the suspensions and the potential system error, Amazon spokesperson Montana MacLachlan stated, “This issue affected a relatively small subset of MTurk workers and is now fully resolved, but we regret any inconvenience these workers may have experienced.” Amazon also noted inaccuracies regarding the account reinstatement numbers, claiming that all affected accounts had been addressed and inviting users to view updates on the service health dashboard.
Following the account suspensions, workers reported that, while unable to earn from MTurk or access their funds, they could still make purchases on Amazon’s website. Some found themselves passed between various customer service departments, while others were advised to create new accounts to resume work. However, this latter option is viewed as a serious breach of Amazon’s terms of service, with past instances leading to further account suspensions. Krystal Kauffman, a long-time MTurk worker and Turkopticon lead organizer, lamented, “Imagine being in grad school only to have someone tell you to start over from your freshman year.”
Workers also highlighted the inconsistency in Amazon’s policies, noting that even with payment issues, they were still allowed to make purchases. Kauffman cited the precarious situation of workers affected by account suspensions, sharing the story of a 68-year-old individual who struggled to buy food or pay rent because MTurk was his main source of income. The lack of clarity around the issue added to their frustration, as workers could not easily reach someone who could resolve their problems.
While many use MTurk as a flexible way to supplement their income, others rely on it as their primary source of earnings. Krista Pawloski, another long-time MTurk worker and organizer with Turkopticon, pointed out that although they identified hundreds of users affected by the payment issue, many more might be experiencing the same problems without their knowledge.
Pawloski expressed concerns about how many workers might have given up after facing account suspensions, thinking it was the end of the line for them. She emphasized that Amazon tends to view account suspensions as definitive and that many users might remain unaware that their accounts could potentially be reinstated.
Reflecting on a previous round of mass suspensions in January 2024, Kauffman noted a pattern whereby such problems are often linked to specific tasks workers are asked to complete. In that instance, a collective effort among workers quickly identified the core issue after just half an hour of discussion. “Why is it that this small group of people can come together and find the problem, and why should we have to tell Amazon what their problem is?” Kauffman questioned.
During the current wave of suspensions, meetings aimed at identifying common threads yielded no clear answers, suggesting an overarching glitch rather than a task-related issue. Pawloski noted that past experiences with mass suspensions have shown that Amazon seldom provides workers with details about what went wrong or how to prevent future occurrences.
Ultimately, workers are seeking greater clarity and timely communication from Amazon about issues affecting the Mechanical Turk platform, rather than being left in uncertainty, especially when their incomes are at stake. “No matter what the Payments issue was, you can put a PR spin on it, just let people know,” Pawloski urged.
Following her experience with the January suspensions, Pawloski has sought to diversify her income sources, realizing that relying solely on MTurk is becoming increasingly impractical. “I hardly do any work on MTurk anymore; they’re driving away good workers,” she said, recalling her long tenure on the platform since 2008, during which she completed nearly a million tasks, facing very few rejections. “I’m a good worker, and they’ve driven me away.”