Current:Home > MyKenyan Facebook moderators accuse Meta of not negotiating sincerely-LoTradeCoin
Kenyan Facebook moderators accuse Meta of not negotiating sincerely
View Date:2024-12-23 20:20:32
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The lawyer representing 184 former Facebook content moderators based in Kenya who sued the site’s parent company, Meta, over working conditions and pay told the judge Monday that Meta has not been sincere in trying to reach an out-of-court settlement as agreed in the last court session.
Lawyer Mercy Mutemi said the talks had collapsed and the former moderators want to proceed with a contempt of court case against Meta.
“The petitioners gave it their best effort. They attended every mediation. The respondents asked for information which we gave them. They kept saying they would get back to us by a certain date but only got back to us at the end of last week with a very small amount that cannot even take care of the petitioners’ mental health,” she told the court. She described Meta as “not genuine.”
The moderators were employed via Sama, a San Francisco subcontractor that describes itself as an ethical AI company, to work in its hub in the capital, Nairobi. Their job entailed screening user content in 12 African languages and removing any uploads deemed to breach Facebook’s community standards and terms of service.
Some of the petitioners have told The Associated Press that their job required them to watch horrific content for eight hours a day that overwhelmed many of them while being paid 60,000 Kenyan shillings, or $414 a month. They accused Sama of doing little to ensure post-traumatic professional counseling was offered. They are seeking $1.6 billion in compensation.
Meta and Sama lawyers told the court they thought the mediation was making good progress, with long hours involved, until the moderators’ lawyer wrote to them in protest.
Justice Nduma Nderi said the failed talks were a “missed opportunity” to find a balance between the parties involved as opposed to the court issuing an order.
The parties will now appear at a hearing on Oct. 31 on the moderators’ application to find Meta and Sama in contempt of court.
The lawsuit is the first known court challenge of its kind against Facebook outside the United States. In 2020, Facebook agreed to pay $52 million to U.S. content moderators who filed a class action lawsuit after they were repeatedly exposed to beheadings, child and sexual abuse, animal cruelty, terrorism and other disturbing content.
Facebook and Sama have defended their employment practices.
veryGood! (399)
Related
- NCT DREAM enters the 'DREAMSCAPE': Members on new album, its concept and songwriting
- Woman walking with male companion dies after being chased down by bear in Slovakia
- Best March Madness upset picks: Our predictions for NCAA tournament first-round stunners
- Companies Are Poised to Inject Millions of Tons of Carbon Underground. Will It Stay Put?
- Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights
- Stanley cup drop today: What to know if you want a neon-colored cup
- U.S. drops from top 20 happiest countries list in 2024 World Happiness Report
- Princess Kate tabloid photo, video fuel speculation: Why the gossip is harmful
- Appeals Court Affirms Conviction of Everglades Scientist Accused of Stealing ‘Trade Secrets’
- 2 former Mississippi sheriff's deputies sentenced to decades in prison in racially motivated torture of 2 Black men
Ranking
- Gerry Faust, the former head football coach at Notre Dame, has died at 89
- Georgia plans to put to death a man in the state’s first execution in more than 4 years
- 2 former Mississippi sheriff's deputies sentenced to decades in prison in racially motivated torture of 2 Black men
- The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Finally Gets a Price Tag for All Its Performance
- Mississippi man charged with shooting 5 people after not being allowed into party
- Companies Are Poised to Inject Millions of Tons of Carbon Underground. Will It Stay Put?
- Best Buy plans to close 10 to 15 stores by 2025, according to recent earnings call
- Jokic’s 35 points pace Nuggets in 115-112 win over short-handed Timberwolves after tight finish
Recommendation
-
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long record of promoting anti-vaccine views
-
2 Japanese men die in river near Washington state waterfall made popular on TikTok
-
Companies Are Poised to Inject Millions of Tons of Carbon Underground. Will It Stay Put?
-
Texas’ migrant arrest law is back on hold after briefly taking effect
-
FBI raids New York City apartment of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, reports say
-
U.S. drops from top 20 happiest countries list in 2024 World Happiness Report
-
Michigan will become the last US state to decriminalize surrogacy contracts
-
FBI says homicide rates fell nationwide in 2023