Africa (Commonwealth Union) _ On Monday, the lawyer representing 184 former Facebook content moderators in Kenya informed the judge that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has not been earnest in attempting to reach an out-of-court settlement, as previously agreed. Lawyer Mercy Mutemi expressed that the talks had broken down, and the moderators are now seeking a contempt of court case against Meta.
Despite the petitioners’ full cooperation in attending every mediation session and providing requested information, Meta’s response, received at the end of the previous week, offered an insufficient amount that falls short of addressing the mental health concerns of the petitioners. Mutemi criticized Meta for lacking sincerity in the negotiation process.
The former content moderators were employed by Sama, a San Francisco subcontractor, known as an ethical AI company, to work in Nairobi, Kenya. Their responsibilities included screening user content in 12 African languages and removing uploads violating Facebook’s community standards and terms of service.
Some of the petitioners revealed that their demanding job involved watching distressing content for eight hours a day, leading to mental distress. They were paid 60,000 Kenyan shillings, or $414 a month. The moderators accused Sama of neglecting post-traumatic professional counseling. In pursuit of compensation, they are seeking $1.6 billion.
Lawyers from Meta and Sama conveyed to the court that they believed the mediation was progressing well until the moderators’ lawyer expressed discontent. Justice Nduma Nderi characterized the failed talks as a “missed opportunity” to strike a balance between the involved parties without a court order.
A hearing on October 31 will address the moderators’ application to find Meta and Sama in contempt of court. This lawsuit marks the first known court challenge of its kind against Facebook outside the United States. In 2020, Facebook agreed to a $52 million settlement in the United States with content moderators who filed a class-action lawsuit due to repeated exposure to disturbing content.
Both Facebook and Sama have defended their employment practices amid the ongoing legal dispute.
