Ex-moderator can file a lawsuit against Facebook's parent company Meta, a judge has ruled

According to a Kenyan labor court, a worker who claims that viewing explicit social media messages has injured his mental health may file a lawsuit against Facebook's owner Meta.

Daniel Motaung alleges that he was paid $2.20 per hour to analyze posts involving child abuse and beheadings. He is also suing Sama, the company that Meta hired to monitor posts when he was working there. Due to the fact that the business is not headquartered in Kenya, Meta claimed the court lacked jurisdiction.

The court, however, disagreed and declared Meta and Sama to be "proper parties" in the dispute. Meta declined to comment, but legal advocacy firm Foxglove anticipated an appeal from the company. In 2020, Meta agreed to pay $52 million to resolve a lawsuit brought by US content moderators who claimed their mental health problems were caused on by their work.

Foxglove, whose director Cori Crider claimed that a key point had been demonstrated, supports the Kenyan case. She stated that Daniel's victory today "should send a message to Facebook, and by extension, all of big tech in Africa."