The platforms, like their counterparts in the United States and Europe, have taken advantage of lax labor protections to demand long hours in exchange for low wages and few benefits like sick pay or health coverage, rights advocates say.

“The platforms have been able to fudge it,” said Balaji Parthasarathy, principal investigator at FairWork India, which rates gig economy companies.

“This is where regulation can help. It will define when they can be treated as employees and when as partners, and what benefits they should receive,” he said.

As scrutiny of app-based businesses increases across the region – partly due to workers’ protests – authorities are starting to call for tighter legal protections.

Chinese regulators in July ordered online platforms to ensure delivery riders earned above the minimum wage and had access to insurance coverage, while Singapore’s government is looking into increasing protections for such workers.

In India, where about 5 million people work in the gig economy, a social security law was introduced last year to extend benefits to the segment, but it has not yet been implemented by the states.

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