arXiv · 2511.02455
OpenCourier: an Open Protocol for Building a Decentralized Ecosystem of Community-owned Delivery Platforms
Abstract
In this vision paper, we outline a blueprint for a decentralized network for the delivery industry, powered by an open protocol. By presenting the network's key components and layers, alongside hypothetical scenarios, we illustrate how the network and the protocol may function in practice. Through this decentralized approach, we aim to address three major issues that mark the current platform-based delivery economy: power imbalances between the platform and workers, information asymmetries caused by opaque decision-making, and value misalignments. Our goal is to provoke dialogue and inspire future work toward more equitable, transparent, and worker-centered futures in the delivery industry, the broader gig economy, and related domains.
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Yuhan Liu, Varun Nagaraj Rao, Sohyeon Hwang, Janet Vertesi, Andrés Monroy-Hernández. 2025-11-04. OpenCourier: an Open Protocol for Building a Decentralized Ecosystem of Community-owned Delivery Platforms. https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3799319
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