A Spanish court has recognized the damage suffered by Facebook content moderators. A court in Barcelona confirmed that a former worker subcontracted by the social network, owned by Meta, suffers mental trauma due to the tasks he performed. Between them, leak material about suicides, mutilations, beheadings and torture.
The social court number 28 of Barcelona determined that the former moderator’s mental health problems qualify as a work accident. Not a common disease, as Facebook maintained.
The moderator who benefited from the ruling was employed between 2018 and 2020 by CCC Barcelona Digital Services. The company is owned by Telus International, one of Meta’s third-party suppliers.
“The worker has been suffering a situation of great emotional and psychological impact in his workplace,” says the ruling issued on January 12, to which he had access. Reuters. The ruling adds that the leave granted to the moderator in 2019 was “exclusively and undoubtedly” caused by his work. Therefore, he is entitled to additional compensation.
It is the first time in Spain that a court recognizes the damage to which content moderators are subjected. The affected person, whose identity was not revealed as a protection measure, had to watch content that included “self-mutilations, beheadings of civilians murdered by terrorist groups, torture inflicted on people and suicides,” said Judge Jesús Fuertes.
Work overload because of Facebook
The former moderator had already received support from the National Social Security Institute (INSS) of Spain. Consequently, the CCC filed a lawsuit in 2022 with the aim of overturning the social security agency’s decision on its responsibility for worker health. The same case now resolved by Fuertes in favor of the worker.
The ruling also mentions that moderators at CCC are under heavy pressure due to the amount of work. This type of work is “a source of stress that can cause psychological damage and post-traumatic stress disorder,” the document highlights. He also questions the company for not having taken any measures, despite knowing about the health problems suffered by its employees.
Another 20 former and current content moderators at CCC take legal action for similar reasons, explained Francesc Feliu, a lawyer who represents the entire group of workers. Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, did not respond to requests for comment from several outlets. At Telus, for their part, they said they were disappointed by the ruling and would appeal.
A global claim
The Spanish case sets an important precedent in the claim of content moderators around the world. For several years, workers subcontracted by Facebook have been complaining about the deplorable working conditions to which they are exposed.
“Imagine watching hours of violent content or child abuse online as part of your daily job,” said Facebook moderators in at least seven countries, in a open letter published in 2021. «There is no way for you to come out unscathed. “This work should not cost us our mental health,” they denounced in the letter.
In this case, the workers also warned about “the culture of fear and secrecy” imposed by the social network. And they asked Facebook not to force them to sign extremely restrictive confidentiality agreements.
Facebook reached an agreement with moderators in California, United States, which involved paying $52 million in 2020. And last year, an employee in Germany, also a Telus subcontractor, was placed on paid leave after he formally complained about his working conditions. The company said it would investigate the case.
Meta owes them “provide real, ongoing mental health care and safe workplaces to the tens of thousands of workers doing this work around the world,” said Martha Dark, director of the technology rights advocacy organization foxglove. In statements to ReutersDark called on governments for more regulations to ensure that social networks are safe spaces, for both users and employees.