Meta faces lawsuits with new allegations of forced labour, human trafficking, and union busting in Kenya. As reported by the Washington Post, this one was filed by Daniel Motaung, a former outsourced Facebook content moderator, against the company and its San Francisco subcontractor, Sama. Motaung claims Sama is trafficking Africans to labour in unsafe conditions in Kenya.
It is claimed in this case that Sama uses false and misleading job ads to target poor people in the state, including persons from Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Somalia and Uganda. According to reports, they were never informed that they would be required to view disturbing content as Facebook moderators.
Motaung claimed that the first video he watched was of someone being beheaded and that he was sacked after only six months on the job for attempting to organize workers’ unions. Time carried out an investigation into the working conditions of the workplace where Motaung worked. It was reported that some employees were suffering from mental trauma because of the type of work they do.
Sama portrays itself as an “ethical AI” company that provides people in places like Nairobi with “dignified digital work.” It also has counsellors on-site. Workers distrusted the counsellors in general, and Sama reportedly disregarded the counsellors’ recommendation that employees take wellness breaks throughout the day.
Motaung stated in the lawsuit that his job was traumatic and that he now has a fear of dying as a result.” I had potential. When I went to Kenya, I went to Kenya because I wanted to change my life. I wanted to change the life of my family. I came out a different person, a person who has been destroyed,” he stressed.
Motaung was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and he was paid 40,000 Kenyan shillings, or around $350, less than promised. According to Time’s story, employees were leaving in droves owing to low compensation and working conditions.
The Nairobi headquarters of Meta informed Washington Post that it requires its “partners to provide industry-leading pay, benefits, and support.” “We also encourage content reviewers to raise issues when they become aware of them and regularly conduct independent audits to ensure our partners are meeting the high standards we expect of them,” it went on to say.
