Meta Content Moderators in Ghana Face Grave Working Conditions, Lawyers Investigate
Firing Up a Probe on Meta Content Moderators' Woes in Ghana
By Nicky Report / AFP, ABUJA
Ghana's workplace conditions for Meta content moderators are under the microscope, according to lawyers diving into the dispute, a potentially explosive issue that could rock Meta's labor practices in Africa.
Content moderators, including those in Ghana, have long battled grueling work conditions as they sift through posts laced with child abuse and gruesome murders on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Legal eagles at Accra-based Agency Seven Seven and London-based Foxglove are delving into accusations that moderators are subjected to "grueling" and "gory" content, including sexual assault, sans adequate mental health care. Alongside these claims, workers have been purportedly ousted for standing up for their rights by attempting to form unions.
Carla Olympio, Agency Seven Seven's founder and managing partner, shares hooks on the mental health toll.
"Our central issue is potential psychological trauma," Olympio remarked, meeting with workers in recent weeks.
Foxglove's founder, Martha Dark, elaborates on the severity of the situation: "The consequences include post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep problems, depression, suicidal thoughts, and more - the situation is pretty bleak."
The investigation hinges on the Nairobi hub's shutdown, a center also managed by a third-party contractor, not Meta itself. The center and the hub in Ghana have been hit by a series of labor-related lawsuits alleging Meta's parent company's algorithm fueled hate speech in neighboring Ethiopia, leading to deadly consequences.
MS Academic, a firm employing about 150 content moderators in Ghana's capital Accra, is currently under the lens. The company is owned by Paris-based tech contractor Teleperformance, which Meta pays for content moderation services.
A content moderator in Accra, who moved from east Africa, confided in the Guardian that his work drove him to contemplate suicide. Employer-provided accommodation requires workers to share rooms, while low base pay and a murky salary structure reportedly pushes moderators to take on more content.
Neither Teleperformance nor Meta has offered comments on the issues currently plaguing content moderators in Ghana.
Teleperformance downplayed claims of insufficient mental health support, asserting that its well-being program is robust, staffed by licensed psychologists, and that pay and benefits are strong.
Meta conceded that it cares about the well-being of content reviewers, expressing its commitment to finding ways for them to do their job safely.
Foxglove is also involved in legal battles in Kenya, where it claims the Nairobi hub illegally fired workers who voiced concerns about mental health and witnessed unionization efforts.
A way to ensure safety exists for content moderators, Dark asserted, citing Ireland's limits on exposure to child abuse content by investigators and the provision of proper psychiatric care.
- The investigation into the working conditions of Meta content moderators in Ghana is being spearheaded by lawyers from Accra-based Agency Seven Seven and London-based Foxglove, focusing on mental health care and the handling of graphic content.
- Content moderators, including those in Ghana, are allegedly faced with grueling work conditions and exposure to graphic content such as child abuse, sexual assault, and gruesome murders, which have been associated with mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
- Unionization efforts by content moderators in Ghana have reportedly led toWORKPLACE-WELLNESS disputes, with some workers being ousted for standing up for their rights.
- In response to the accusations, Teleperformance, the tech contractor that owns MS Academic (an employer of about 150 content moderators in Accra), asserts that their well-being program is robust, staffed by licensed psychologists, and that pay and benefits are strong.
- The finance industry has not been indifferent to the situation, as Meta, the parent company paying for content moderation services, has acknowledged their commitment to the HEALTH-AND-WELLNESS of content reviewers and finding ways to ensure their safety.
- The controversy surrounding Meta content moderators in Ghana has the potential to rock theLABOR PRACTICES of the technology industry in Africa and could have wider implications for POLITICS and GENERAL-NEWS discussions related to workplace conditions and mental health care.
- Foxglove, involved in similar legal battles in Kenya, suggests that implementing regulations, such as limiting exposure to child abuse content and providing proper psychiatric care, can help ensure the SAFETY of content moderators across the continent.
