The basics
What it is
A single frame from a working hour, interpreted by somebody who was not there. It establishes presence and nothing else.
What a Screenshot Actually Proves
A single frame from a working hour, interpreted by somebody who was not there. What it establishes, and the four things it cannot.
Where Proof of Work Came From
The arrangement exists because of a specific commercial problem. Knowing which one explains both its appeal and its limits.
The Three Parties: Client, Contractor, Platform
Each wants something different from the same screenshots, and the platform's interest is the one least often examined.
What the Client Actually Wants to Know
Four questions get expressed as a demand for screenshots, and three of them have better answers.
Attended Hours Against Deliverables
Paying for time and paying for output are different arrangements with different risks, and the choice determines whether monitoring is needed at all.
Why This Is Not Employment Monitoring
The protections that apply to employees mostly do not apply here, and the differences cut in both directions.
The Trust Problem in a Commercial Relationship
Monitoring substitutes for trust that has not yet formed. What it costs to keep it in place after trust exists.