Meta, the parent company of Facebook, lost its appeal in a Kenyan labor court regarding a case involving the mass termination of content moderators. The court upheld its earlier ruling that Kenyan courts have jurisdiction over the matter, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.
The case was brought by 185 content moderators from various African countries who were employed by Sama, a contractor for Meta, in Nairobi. The moderators are seeking $1.6 billion in compensation for their alleged mistreatment and inadequate support.
One of the moderators, Daniel Motaung, filed a separate lawsuit accusing Facebook of exploitation and harm to mental health. The group of moderators also challenges the termination of their employment contracts.
The moderators claimed that their job required them to view distressing content for long hours each day, leading to significant mental strain. They criticized Sama for failing to provide adequate post-traumatic counseling.
Support for the Kenyan workers' case comes from the U.K.-based non-profit organization Foxglove, which accused Meta of using legal tactics to delay the proceedings. The ruling in favor of the moderators was hailed as a significant victory by James Irungu, one of the plaintiffs.
Efforts to reach an out-of-court settlement collapsed due to alleged insincerity by Facebook, leading to the continuation of the legal battle. This lawsuit marks the first known challenge against Facebook outside the United States, highlighting the growing concerns over the well-being of content moderators.
In a similar case in the U.S. in 2020, Facebook agreed to a $52 million settlement with content moderators who were exposed to disturbing content. The outcome of the Kenyan lawsuit could have broader implications for how tech companies handle the mental health and well-being of their content moderators.
