A former content moderator for Facebook in Kenya filed a complaint on Tuesday May 10 against Meta, the parent company of the social network, which he accuses of exploitation, a new dispute for the global platform criticized by many NGOs.
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The complaint describes
"unworthy"
working conditions , from deceptive hiring methods to irregular and insufficient remuneration, through the lack of psychological support, performance pressure and invasions of privacy and dignity, in violation of the Kenyan constitution.
It was submitted by Daniel Motaung, a South African who worked for Sama, a Meta contractor responsible for moderating content on Facebook for countries in East and Southern Africa, an essential activity for remove problematic content (violence, harassment, misinformation, etc.) from the platform.
“The first video I saw was a live beheading,”
said Daniel Motaung on Tuesday during a press conference organized by the “Real Facebook oversight board”, an anti-Facebook association.
"Imagine what it can do to a normal person, if then you watch other videos and images and similar content, every day
," continued the young man, who says he suffers from post-traumatic syndrome.
“We take our responsibility to people who review content for Meta seriously and require our partners to provide industry-leading salaries, benefits and support
,” a spokesperson for Meta said.
Meta, contacted by AFP.
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According to Daniel Motaung and his lawyers, who say they represent 240 Sama content moderators in the Nairobi office, the contractor recruits employees without telling them specifically what their job will be, citing
"administrative duties"
.
The complaint details working conditions under pressure, not adapted to the difficulty and arduousness of the tasks.
In addition, Sama hires
"wellness coaches"
, whose training is not sufficient for the needs of the moderators in terms of mental health, and who do not offer a
"confidential relationship"
, specify the lawyers.
Two years ago, Facebook was ordered to pay thousands of content moderators in the United States $52 million as compensation for job-related trauma.
