I was a content moderator for Facebook. I saw the real cost of outsourcing digital labour

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I was a co...

Guardian

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Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta's plan to replace independent factchecking with community notes, sparking concerns about trustworthiness.
Content moderators like Sonia Kgomo reveal the challenges they face, including traumatic content viewing and intense pressure to analyze quickly.
Outsourcing companies like Sama, where Sonia worked, have faced criticism for profiting from digital labor at the expense of worker well-being.
Issues of trauma and disregard for worker rights in the tech industry have led to a class action lawsuit by former content moderators in Kenya.
Sonia advocates for professionalizing content moderation, emphasizing the need for standards, training, fair wages, and worker rights.
Meta claims to offer support for workers through counselling, healthcare, and technical solutions but faces calls for more substantial changes.
African Tech Workers Rising, supported by Sonia, aims to improve wages, mental health protections, and standards for tech workers in Kenya.
Sonia highlights the importance of recognizing and respecting the human labor behind AI, urging support for organizing efforts and advocacy for worker rights.
Calls for change in the tech industry emphasize the need for regulatory action, ethical treatment of workers, and a shift towards a more humane approach to digital labor.
Support for initiatives like African Tech Workers Rising can help drive positive change and ensure a safer and more ethical internet for all.

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