FARO stands for Frontline Record of Online Harms. Technology-related harm usually reaches the public one case at a time: a school in one country, a family in another, each easy to treat as an exception. This directory puts those cases side by side to help grassroots actors see where others face the same issues they do, and to help governments and regulators see the bigger picture of the harms occurring. The directory describes what its records contain. It does not measure how often these harms occur, and a country with few records may simply have little published about it.
How to use this directory: Topics are filterable for FARO reports that have already been created based on these incidents. The harms and response patterns shown are those featured there. To see the incidents used in a country-specific report, choose that country under Country report. Pick a pattern or evidence type to see on the map which countries have matching records. Click a country on the map or in the list to see its records below. Use the filter to search for keywords or specific sources.
Shaded countries have at least one record. Choose a pattern to see where it appears.
At least one matching recordNo matching recordSelected country
Shading shows only that a country has at least one record in this directory that matches your selection, and every shaded country looks the same on purpose. It says nothing about how often these harms occur there. Pattern filters only cover records classified so far, and small countries are easy to miss on a map, so use the list as well.
Worker deactivated with a week of pay withheld after asking about it
A worker says they worked 8 hours 27 minutes at 25 dollars an hour in late August 2025 and were not paid. After they asked about the missing payment, they say the account was deactivated with payments withheld, citing guideline violations. About 211 dollars follows from the stated rate and hours; the complaint gives no total. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker owed nearly 1,000 dollars after four weeks, then told work was below standard
A worker says they had gone over four weeks without payment and were owed nearly 1,000 dollars, with the payments team never contacting them directly. They say an intermediary then told them the work was below quality standards, which they dispute, while bonuses below 100 dollars for the prior two weeks were paid. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker owed over 1,300 dollars with no new payout link provided
A worker says they are owed over 1,300 dollars for completed work and cannot receive it because the platform has not provided a new payout link, although their payout account is verified and in their name. They report repeated requests and multiple tickets with little to no meaningful response. The platform replied on 5 May that someone would reach out.
Worker owed over 10,000 dollars pending for several months
A worker says they are owed over 10,000 dollars for completed work, pending for several months, because the platform has not provided a new payout link. They report numerous support tickets and repeated contact attempts with no meaningful progress. The platform replied the same day that someone would reach out.
Worker owed over 7,000 dollars for approved work pending for months
A worker says they are owed over 7,000 dollars for completed and approved work that has been pending for several months because the platform has not provided a new payout link. They say their payout account is verified and in their legal name and that several attempts to resolve it directly failed. The platform replied the next day that it would forward the details for investigation, and BBB lists the complaint as Resolved after the complainant said that response was satisfactory.
Worker removed from project and owed hundreds of dollars for tasks from months earlier
A worker says they were removed from an entire project and that they are owed hundreds of dollars for tasks from months earlier, plus referral payments. They describe support as unresponsive and say their concerns are ignored. They say this was their main source of income. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker removed with 488 dollars of final-week pay not released
A reviewer says their account was removed without specifics about the alleged violation, its timing, or a chance to respond. They say 488 dollars for their final week of work has not been released. BBB shows no company response to the review.
A worker posted in an online discussion that the platform robbed them of 30 hours of pay, saying they are a real person who showed up and worked hard. The post drew 52 comments, and the article notes one commenter questioned whether it was authentic. The article states no dates, account status or platform response for this worker.
Worker suspended after three steady weeks with 200 dollars of payout remaining
A commenter says they had been earning 1,100 dollars over three consistent weeks when the platform suspended their account without warning. They say they had 200 dollars of payout remaining at the time. The article does not state whether that payout was paid.
Worker suspended after timesheet review with earnings out of reach
A worker says the platform suspended their account for review after 15 time-reporting entries and that they sent explanations for all of them. They report no reply from support for about two weeks and no access to their dashboard or funds page. They say they earned 2,889.86 dollars the previous week and 3,820.93 dollars since July 2026, and that a 941.07 dollar payout was reportedly completed, so the remaining balance is not stated.
Worker suspended on payday with pending payments unpaid
A worker says their account was suspended on payday without a clear explanation, after the platform had acknowledged an error and promised reactivation and payment. They report pending payments, with no amount stated. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
A contractor says their account was suspended in early June 2026 after the funds they seek had been reviewed and marked approved and ready for withdrawal. They say they cannot access their dashboard and have had no communication about when they will be paid. The amount is not stated.
Worker suspended with pending pay for over 30 hours never disbursed
A worker says their account was suspended for no valid reason and that the appeal they filed was never answered. They report pending payments for over 30 hours of work that were never disbursed, and ask for reinstatement or payment. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker unable to reach more than 3,000 dollars of overdue pay because payment link failed
A worker says overdue payments of more than 3,000 dollars for completed work could not be accessed because the payment link did not work, and their support tickets went unresolved. The platform replied that it was forwarded for review and the complainant later said they were satisfied with the resolution.
Worker unable to submit about 2,700 dollars of invoices, tickets unanswered
A worker says invoices of about 2,700 dollars from the previous site could not be submitted and their support tickets received no reply. The platform replied that someone would reach out.
Worker unable to submit about 2,949 dollars of invoices after platform change
A worker says invoices of about 2,949 dollars from the previous site could not be submitted manually and their support tickets received no reply. The platform replied that someone would reach out.
Worker unpaid for 120 hours worked in September and told project was closed
A worker says they have not been paid for 120 hours worked in September and that customer service ignored them. They say the platform later told them they were not listed as an active contributor on the project, that it paid a lump sum and was deprecated, and that no further payments were being processed. The platform replied on 3 December that it would have someone reach out, and on 23 December said its team had responded to their messages and considered the matter closed.
Worker unpaid for 15 hours with no reply from managers
A worker says they worked 15 hours at an agreed 40 dollars an hour and have not been paid. They say they contacted many managers and assistants and that no one responded. They ask for payment of 600 dollars. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker unpaid for 8 hours of approved work, support replies circular
A worker says they have not been paid for 8 hours of recorded work, with a rate that rose from 40 dollars to over 200 dollars an hour mid-task for approved work. They describe the support replies as circular and pre-packaged. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker unpaid for 84 hours of logged project work from 2024
A worker says work they logged on a project from April to June 2024, 84 hours and 13 minutes worth 842.16 dollars, was never processed or paid. They say nobody followed up after the platform said someone would reach out.
Worker unpaid for final week of work after account closed
A worker says they worked on a project from 14 December 2023 to 7 January 2024 and were paid weekly until the platform closed their account, which they say did not follow any guideline breach. They say the platform refused to pay for their final week of work, up to 7 January. The amount is not stated. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker unpaid for nearly 800 dollars of January and February work
A worker says they worked in January and February, were paid for the first week, and that almost 800 dollars of later work remains unpaid. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker unpaid since 6 November with escalated ticket and only canned replies
A worker says they received no payments from 6 November 2023 onward at a rate of 25 dollars an hour, and that their time no longer shows in the hours tracker. They say a ticket was escalated and a month later they had received only canned replies. They also say contractors in the platform's chat channels report going weeks or months without pay. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker with about 1,500 dollars of outstanding invoices and unanswered tickets
A worker says about 1,500 dollars of invoices from the platform's old site remain outstanding and their support tickets are unanswered. The platform replied that someone would reach out after reviewing the account.
Worker with over 2,500 dollars unpaid for lack of a working payout link
A worker says overdue payments of over 2,500 dollars for completed work have not been paid because the platform has not provided a working payout link, although their payout account is verified and in their name. They report multiple support requests met with inaction. The platform replied the same day that someone would follow up on the payment inquiry.
Worker’s account suspended with over 800 dollars unpaid and no reply to dispute
A worker says the platform suspended their account on 5 January and offered no explanation or reply when they tried to open a dispute. They say the account held more than 800 dollars that they believe they should be paid for work they did. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker’s assessment pay unpaid for about four weeks, told to chase it
A worker says they completed an assessment on 6 August 2026 and that payment promised within three to four days had not arrived by the complaint date. They say they were asked to chase the payment themselves. The amount is not stated.
Worker’s August incentive pay still unpaid in November, then removed from projects
A worker says they completed incentive tasks in August with good quality and that by November neither they nor others had received the incentive pay, with project managers and support each pointing to the other. They say they were then removed from every project. The amount is not stated. BBB lists the complaint as Unanswered by the business.
Worker’s invoices of 2,463 dollars pending for months with no payment link
A worker says invoices for completed assignments of 2,463 dollars were pending for months, with no payment link provided and support tickets unanswered. The platform replied that someone would reach out, and the complainant rejected the response because it gave no timeline.
Each record is a short summary of an incident described in a public source or collected through an interview by SHIELD or its partners. Records are reviewed by people before they appear here. Names and identifying details are removed: where a person appears, a role, age band and gender stand in for the name, and dates and places for minors are generalised. Every record links to its original source and shows the date that link was last checked. Records are classified with shared harm categories. The classification is SHIELD's own, so it can differ from how a source describes the incident.
Using the directory
You are welcome to read, link to and quote individual records with credit to FARO. Please do not copy, scrape or republish the dataset in bulk, or use it to train or test automated systems, without written permission. To ask for permission, use the SHIELD contact form. The original sources keep their own rights, and the link on each record leads to them.
How to cite
SHIELD-APS. Frontline Record of Online Harms (FARO). DIRECTORY-URL. Accessed [date]. To cite a particular selection, use the web address shown after you set the filters.
When you rely on the facts of an incident, cite the original source it links to. When you rely on the classification, the patterns or the country report, cite FARO. Please describe the records as documented incidents and do not present counts or country coverage as how often these harms happen. A country with few records may simply have little published about it.
Corrections and removals
If a record is wrong, a link no longer works, or you are described in a record and want it changed or removed, use the SHIELD contact form and include the title of the record. We review each request and update or remove the record where the request is justified.
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Know of a documented incident that belongs here? Send it through the incident form. A public source, such as a news report, a court or regulator decision, or a research publication, helps us verify it quickly. Submissions without a public source are kept anonymous and are not tied to named products or companies. Please leave out the names of children and of anyone who has not agreed to be named. Submissions are reviewed before anything is published, and sending one does not guarantee a record.
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