A Kenyan court ordered Meta, Facebook’s parent company, and content moderators to settle their lawsuit.
Content moderators sued Meta for unjust dismissal. According to court reports, Meta and the content moderators have 21 days to settle their dispute out of court.
One hundred eighty-four content moderators are suing the corporation and two subcontractors. They claimed Sama, a subcontractor, fired them for unionising. The plaintiffs claimed they were blocklisted from applying for similar roles at Luxembourg-based Majorel, the second subcontracting firm. After Facebook changed its contracts, this happened.
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Meta and content editors must follow the court’s order
The court’s order is meant to help the parties agree without going through an official trial. It gives both sides a chance to agree outside of the courtroom.
The Employment and Labour Relations Court has told the people involved in the case to try to agree outside of court through mediation. The order, signed by both the lawyers for the plaintiffs and the lawyers for Meta, Sama, and Majorel, said that both sides should talk to each other to settle the dispute without an official trial.
Willy Mutunga, Kenya’s former chief justice, and Hellen Apiyo, Kenya’s acting labour commissioner, will mediate. They will help people talk and negotiate to find a solution. The court gave both sides 21 days to agree. If they can’t agree within this time, the court will decide, which could lead to a hearing.
Meta, Sama, and Majorel did not respond right away to requests for opinions on the matter, though.
Kenyan law issues for Meta
A Kenyan judge concluded in April that Meta moderators could pursue their action against Meta, even though Meta has no official presence in Kenya.
This case could alter how the corporation interacts with global content reviewers. The company has global moderators. Graphic content shared on the platform is their responsibility. This case could affect how Meta interacts with content moderators elsewhere.
Meta is being sued similarly across the continent. A former moderator at Sama, a freelancer, sued the corporation, claiming she worked in poor conditions. A rights group and two Ethiopian researchers are suing in another case. They claimed that Facebook’s parent company spread violent and hateful Ethiopian content.
Meta responded to these legal actions in both circumstances. In May 2022, the vast tech business claimed it required its partners to provide the best working conditions in the sector in response to a case alleging poor working conditions. Meta responded to the Ethiopian hate speech and violence case in December. She said this content violates Facebook and Instagram guidelines. It also meant the corporation fixed it and stopped it.
These legal actions and Meta’s answers demonstrate how difficult it is for social media platforms to monitor material and working conditions globally and how local legal systems can affect their operations and regulations.