Once again, Facebook has come under fire for the treatment received by its content moderators. In fact, they were the ones who decided to send an open letter to the main executives of the company to again demand better working conditions .
In In writing, content moderators focus on three basic points. On the one hand, they ask to end “the culture of fear and secrecy” imposed by the social network. Specifically, they request that Facebook not force them to sign extremely restrictive confidentiality agreements.
In principle, such Facebook documents are intended to prevent the disclosure of user data or sensitive information. However, the workers later find that they are even prohibited from telling their relatives what they do . “No confidentiality agreement can legally prevent us from talking about our working conditions,” they challenged.
The second point that content moderators claim is to receive adequate support to protect their mental health. Employees have called Facebook's current efforts on the matter “woefully inappropriate.” That is why they ask access to regular and sustained professionals such as psychologists and psychiatrists .
The content is psychologically harmful. Imagine watching hours of violent or child abuse content online as part of your daily work. You can't get out unscathed. This work should not cost us our mental health.
Mental health, a key point in the claim of Facebook content moderators
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
It is not the first time that the call for greater and better attention to mental health from content moderators has appeared on the scene. Facebook has already faced several lawsuits regarding this issue; It has even had to compensate with millionaire sums to employees diagnosed with post-traumatic stress , caused by their hard work on the social network.
“The content it's terrible and it would affect anyone. No one can be okay if they watch graphic violence for 7 to 8 hours a day, “said Isabella Plunkett, a moderator who testified in front of a parliamentary committee in Ireland about poor working conditions imposed by Facebook. .
In the last point of the open letter sent to the directors, the content moderators demand to be hired directly by the company . Currently, most of the employees who are dedicated to this task are outsourced through firms such as Accenture and Covalen.
In previous complaints, workers have mentioned the lack of coverage for absences in case of illness and that the payment they receive is less than that of those who belong to Facebook. “Second-class citizenship of outsourced moderators must end today. We should all receive the same salary, benefits and employment conditions, “they asserted.
The open letter from the Facebook content moderators is addressed to the main visible faces of the company: Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg . However, it is also addressed to Anne Heraty and Julie Sweet, CEOs of Covalen and Accenture, respectively. We will see if the claim of the workers (one more) has a favorable resolution.
