Online Staffing Agencies Ban Political Video Requests Amid Election Law Concerns

Two prominent online staffing agencies have prohibited requests for workers to produce political videos. This decision stems from concerns that such activities could potentially violate the Public Offices Election Law.

The Public Offices Election Law prohibits the payment of money to individuals involved in election-related activities. The online requests, which offered compensation for creating short videos, were seen as potentially constituting vote-buying. These videos gained significant attention during the Hyogo and Tokyo gubernatorial elections last year, raising concerns about their influence on the election outcomes.

The two companies involved are CrowdWorks Inc. and coconala inc., both based in Tokyo. These short political videos typically involve editing and combining clips from campaign speeches and news conferences, along with added titles and information, for distribution on social media platforms and YouTube. Some individuals have used these videos as a means to generate income through advertising revenue based on the number of views.

CrowdWorks updated its guidelines on March 14. While the previous guidelines already prohibited activities that could violate laws, the new version specifically includes political activities. A company representative explained that the distinction between election and political activities had become increasingly difficult to define. The company has already removed several requests seeking individuals to create these short political videos.

Coconala previously banned activities that provided information, including political ideologies. The company is now implementing a clearer definition due to encountering job requests that could potentially violate the Public Offices Election Law. A specialized team will be established to remove or issue warnings about job requests that are deemed to be attempts to negatively or positively influence the political image of specific office holders, candidates, or political parties.

Another major online job brokering company, Lancers Inc., already prohibits requests for workers to handle any election-related tasks. The company declined to confirm whether any new guidelines would be added.

Masahito Tadano, a constitutional law professor at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, suggests that the actions taken by the two companies could have an impact in the coming months, particularly with the upcoming Tokyo metropolitan assembly election in June and the Upper House election scheduled for July.