This week a dozen #Facebook content moderators will file a lawsuit in Dublin against the social network. I spent the last month talking to three of them. This is their story cc @CaseyNewton vice.com/en_us/article/…
@CaseyNewton "My first day on the job, I witnessed someone being beaten to death with a plank of wood with nails in it and repeatedly stabbed. Day two was the first time for me seeing beastiality on video — and it all escalated from there.” Sean Burke told me. vice.com/en_us/article/…
"I really didn't think it was going to affect me but then you get exposed to true evil. For most people, I have spoken to, the problem is not seeing a grown man beheaded, it's seeing a little six-month-old baby being raped,” Daniel Valdermasson told me. vice.com/en_us/article/…
“On one of the teams there was a 50-year-old lady who had never used a computer and her previous job was a masseuse — now she is moderating content,” Chris Gray told me. vice.com/en_us/article/…
The moderators are low paid and exposed to some of the most despicable content seen anywhere online, and they are suffering from PTSD, anxiety attacks and self medicating with alcohol. vice.com/en_us/article/…
But what makes this lawsuit a much bigger danger for Facebook is that one of its own direct high-paid employees is joining the lawsuit, also claiming she has suffered from PTSD as a result of a much more limited exposure to this content vice.com/en_us/article/…
Facebook says it has done a lot to improve the lot of moderators since "The Cleaners” film exposed the problem in Asia and @CaseyNewton revealed the problem in the US. Facebook says it now offers "open access to psychological support” — as well as yoga vice.com/en_us/article/…
But the moderators say their jobs are made even worse by the unrelenting nature of the work combined iwth impossible targets mean using any of the services on offer is just not an option. If quality levels drop even slightly moderators risk being fired. vice.com/en_us/article/…
The lawsuit is seeking compensation for the trauma suffered by the moderators, but it is also demanding Facebook fundamentally changes how it approaches the health of its employees — even those on contract with third-party companies. vice.com/en_us/article/…
Finally, if any CPL moderators or Facebook staff want to get in touch to talk, then you can get in contact on david.gilbert@vice.com or DM me here for Signal/Telegram/WhatsApp etc. vice.com/en_us/article/…
