Meta court-ordered to cut ties with content moderators Sama and Majorel in Kenya
Content moderators review social media posts to ensure the removal of violence, hate speech, and false information.
Kenya’s High Court ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to cut ties with its main content moderators in the country – Sama and Majorel.
The order comes after a group of 43 content moderators, previously employed by Sama, sued Meta and its partners for unlawful practices of discrimination and contract terminations. In March, evidence showed that Majorel, Meta’s replacement for Sama, has not improved work conditions resulting in the court barring Majorel from becoming Meta’s new moderation partner and mandating it to continue with the outgoing subcontractor, Sama, until the case was heard.
After the final verdict, it is unclear who will perform content moderation for Meta in the region. Meta spokesperson said that Meta’s working with ‘global partners’, causing concern about their ability to sift through content with a nuanced understanding of local African languages.