Explainable Anomaly Detection for Digital Crowdsourcing Platforms Using Optimized Isolation Forest and Local Outlier Factor

Mohd. Norhisham Razali; Norizuandi Ibrahim; Sokkhey PHAUK; Rozita Hanapi; Norlelawati Ismawi

doi:10.35877/454RI.asci4873

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Journal of Applied Science, Engineering, Technology, and Education

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2026), Pages 431-442 · 2026-08-31

Explainable Anomaly Detection for Digital Crowdsourcing Platforms Using Optimized Isolation Forest and Local Outlier Factor

Mohd. Norhisham Razali, Norizuandi Ibrahim, Sokkhey PHAUK, Rozita Hanapi , Norlelawati Ismawi

https://doi.org/10.35877/454RI.asci4873

Abstract

Digital crowdsourcing platforms depend on freelancer profiles to support trust, reputation, and hiring decisions. However, anomalous profiles with unusual attribute combinations may reduce platform reliability. Existing anomaly detection studies mainly emphasize detection accuracy while overlooking robustness, interpretability, and governance relevance. This study proposes an explainable anomaly detection framework for identifying anomalous freelancer profiles using Isolation Forest (IF) and Local Outlier Factor (LOF). Hyperparameter optimization techniques, including Grid Search, Randomized Search, Genetic Algorithms, and Bayesian Optimization, are applied to improve model robustness. Beyond detection performance, the framework evaluates anomaly consistency, clustering separability, and cross-model agreement. To improve transparency, SHAP-based explainability is integrated to interpret anomaly scores and identify feature-level contributions. This enables platform administrators to understand why freelancer profiles are classified as anomalous and supports human-in-the-loop decision-making. Experimental results show that optimized models consistently detect economically and reputationally implausible profiles while reducing unstable detections. The findings demonstrate that integrating optimization and explainable AI enhances trustworthy anomaly detection and supports governance in digital crowdsourcing platforms.

Keywords

Anomaly Detection Hyperparameter Optimization Explainable AI

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How to Cite

Razali, M. N., Ibrahim, N., PHAUK, S., Hanapi , R., & Ismawi, N. (2026). Explainable Anomaly Detection for Digital Crowdsourcing Platforms Using Optimized Isolation Forest and Local Outlier Factor. Journal of Applied Science, Engineering, Technology, and Education, 8(2), 431–442. https://doi.org/10.35877/454RI.asci4873