Disgraced Ex- Meta Content Examiners File for $1.6 Billion Compensation in Kenyan Court
In a landmark decision, the Kenyan Court of Appeal has ruled that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, can be held accountable as a "indirect employer" for the dismissal of content moderators in Kenya. This ruling comes after a lawsuit filed by 187 former content moderators who were terminated by their service providers, Sama and Majorel.
The Main Players in the Lawsuit
- Meta (Facebook, Meta Platforms Inc.): The company is at the centre of this case. The plaintiffs argue that Meta holds the employer role, as it decides the content on its platforms and effectively steers the actions of the service providers through its policies and presence.
- Service Providers: In Kenya, the content moderation duties were primarily handled by two companies: Sama (formerly known as Sama Group) and Majorel (previously Cognizant/Genpact).
- Sama, having claimed to have discontinued content moderation services for Meta due to a shift in focus to AI data labeling, remains a key player in the lawsuit.
- Majorel (formerly Cognizant/Genpact) took over additional content moderation tasks in Kenya in 2023, according to reports and labour law experts.
Current Status of the Lawsuit Post-Ruling
The Kenya's Court of Appeal, as reported in media outlets (as of 2022/23), has decided that Meta can be held responsible as an indirect employer for the content moderators. This means that Meta remains the focus of the lawsuits, despite the direct employment contracts being signed with the service providers.
The dismissed content moderators continue to pursue legal action against Meta. The exact role of Majorel (or Cognizant/Genpact) in the current lawsuit is less publicly documented, but the main burden of the lawsuit lies undoubtedly with Meta.
Key Points
- Meta (Facebook, Meta Platforms Inc.) is the company that, following the Kenyan Court of Appeal's ruling, remains embroiled in the legal battle with the dismissed content moderators. External service providers like Sama and Majorel were former and current partners, but the legal responsibility has been attributed to Meta. For more specific details on Majorel's current role, a review of current court documents would be necessary, as media reports typically focus on Meta.
- The content moderators, who were exposed to distressing content and received a monthly salary of approximately KES 60,000, argue that this compensation is insufficient for the emotional distress they experienced while moderating the content.
- If a settlement is not reached, the case will proceed in the trial court.
- The lawsuit involves allegations of unfair dismissal.
- The former moderators are seeking $1.6 billion in compensation.
- Sama has shifted its focus to artificial labeling.
- The case involves Meta, Sama, and Majorel.
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