Like WeWork, Uber, Amazon, YouTube, DoorDash, and every tech platform you rely on to live in the 21st century, the transcription service Rev recently screwed over the people who do the actual work.

For a Rev contractor from Ireland, the opportunity to transcribe clear audio was a rare one. When she finally found a quality file, she soon realized it was an interview with a child sex-crime victim.

Rev, one of biggest names in transcription—and one of the cheapest services of its kind—opted to alter its pay structure with little warning for thousands of contractors on its platform, some of whom ...