Meta's Content Moderation Partner in Africa Announces Closure

Sama, the primary subcontractor for content moderation for Meta in Africa, announced on Tuesday, Jan. 10, that its office in Kenya will be closed as they streamline operations, reported first by TechCrunch.

This recent move follows a lawsuit filed against Sama and Meta in Kenya for alleged exploitation and violation of labor laws. It also comes at the heels of a lawsuit filed last month regarding Meta's content moderation policies.

Sama announced that 200 employees, or 3% of its workforce, would be laid off as the company shifted its focus from content assessment services to labeling tasks.

The business sourced moderators from all over Africa, and after the arm's collapse, some employees were reported to have no licenses, as noted by TechCrunch.

Sama's moderators were tasked with sifting through social media messages across all of its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, to delete any content that spreads hate, false information, and violence.

According to reports, Sama urged employees affected by the shutdown to apply for alternative jobs at its locations in Kenya and Uganda.

Lawsuits Against Meta

Sama's move coincides with Meta being the target of yet another lawsuit in Kenya over allegations that it failed to take adequate security precautions on Facebook, which in turn reportedly encouraged conflicts that resulted in the deaths of many people, such as the Tigray War.

According to the lawsuit, the social media platform amplified hate speech and neglected to employ sufficient staff fluent in regional languages to filter material.

The hate speech and violence lawsuit was filed in Kenya's High Court by Ethiopian researchers Abrham Meareg Amare and Fisseha Tekle. They are also supported by the legal non-profit Foxglove and the human rights organization Katiba Institute.

The petitioners are also seeking protection against the platform's algorithm which they claim encourages harmful content and fails to regulate violence-inciting posts.

In addition, the lawsuit claims that Meta underinvests in Latin America and the Middle East as well as African nations in the field of content moderation.

The petitioners want the corporation to concentrate more on the content moderation of these nations, particularly those that are susceptible to war, ethnic cleansing, and other forms of violence.

They demanded that Meta give content moderators better pay and working conditions. The petitioners are also requesting $2 billion, or 250 billion Kenyan shillings, on behalf of Kenyans who have fallen victim to hate and violence on Facebook.

Daniel Motaung, a South African national and former Sama content moderator, also filed a lawsuit against Meta and Sama in May 2022, alleging that they conducted forced labor, human trafficking, union busting, and other claims.