Read on Twitter
Breaking: More than 200 @Facebook content moderators (and supporting employees) from across the US and Europe have published a demand for better protections - and full employment rights - during the pandemic. https://www.foxglove.org.uk/news/open-letter-from-content-moderators-re-pandemic
This is the biggest joint international effort of Facebook content moderators yet. We are proud to have worked with them to do it. Many more moderators in other sites wanted to sign, but were too intimidated by Facebook - these people are risking their livelihood to speak out.
They've taken that risk because Facebook has risked their lives by forcing content moderators back to the offices. Full FB staff are allowed to work from home - many mods have to come in, even with live Covid cases on the floor, as @samfbiddle reported: https://theintercept.com/2020/10/20/facebook-coronavuris-content-moderator-accenture/
Moderators who live with relatives at high risk of Covid are still being made to come in. @daithaigilbert reports they are terrified: https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3vvv9/leaked-audio-facebook-moderators-terrified-to-return-to-office-during-covid-outbreak
And it's a global problem - the same thing has happened in India, say @restofworld: https://restofworld.org/2020/facebook-moderators-are-too-scared-to-say-anything/
Facebook has done this because its experiment in automating content moderation during the pandemic failed. It NEEDS these workers. from @markscott and @LauKaya https://www.politico.eu/article/facebook-content-moderation-automation/
So as the moderators say, Facebook should hire them! "If our work is so core to Facebook’s business that you will ask us to risk our lives in the name of Facebook’s community—and profit—are we not, in fact, the heart of your company?" The letter demands full employment rights.
Facebook can well afford this. It is a $780bn company. Zuck's personal wealth passed $100bn during the pandemic. TikTok is bringing moderators in house. It's time for Facebook to treat these workers with the dignity and respect they deserve.
We're now asking everyone on Facebook to join these workers. They're risking their lives and jobs so you have social media at home. Stand with them: https://www.foxglove.org.uk/solidarity-with-facebook-moderators
