CEO Regrets Outsourcing Facebook Moderation Work to Kenya

Wendy Gonzalez – the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of American outsourcing company Sama – has revealed that she regrets taking on Facebook moderation work after her Kenyan staff were left disturbed.

Speaking with an international publication on Wednesday, 16 August, Gonzalez said: “If I knew what I know now, which included all of the opportunity and energy it would take away from the core business, I would have not entered [the agreement].”

The CEO also stated that moving forward, the company will not take on work involving moderating harmful content, nor would they work with artificial intelligence (AI) content “that supports weapons of mass destruction or police surveillance”.

Sama is currently facing a number of legal cases brought by Kenyan employees who have claimed they were traumatised by exposure to graphic posts – such as videos of beheadings, suicide and other graphic material – on the social media site.

The outsourcing company has claimed that certified wellness counsellors were always on hand to provide support to employees, who were expected to work around the clock as per Meta’s support policies.

However, some former employees – like Daniel Motaung who is currently suing both Sama and Meta – feel like they did not receive the correct psychological support that was needed.

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