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A former Facebook Inc contract employee filed a lawsuit in California, alleging that content moderators who face mental trauma after reviewing distressing images on the platform are not being properly protected by the social networking company.
Facebook moderators under contract are "bombarded" with "thousands of videos, images and livestreamed broadcasts of child sexual abuse, rape, torture, bestiality, beheadings, suicide and murder," the lawsuit said.
"Facebook is ignoring its duty to provide a safe workplace and instead creating a revolving door of contractors who are irreparably traumatized by what they witnessed on the job," Korey Nelson, a lawyer for former Facebook contract employee Selena Scola, said in a statement on Monday.
Facebook in the past has said all of its content reviewers have access to mental health resources, including trained professionals onsite for both individual and group counseling, and they receive full health care benefits.
"We take the support of our content moderators incredibly seriously, ... ensuring that every person reviewing Facebook content is offered psychological support and wellness resources," said Bertie Thomson, director of corporate communications.
Also at the Register.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday September 25 2018, @03:31PM (8 children)
(Other than the fact that it uses PHP . . .) What is Facebook's problem?
First, I'm going to assume that the moderators are not special snowflakes who cannot handle contrary points of view. But from TFA I got the impression we're talking about things that ordinary people might find mentally traumatizing. I avoid those myself. Years ago you might remember some videos that were widely discussed like 2 girls 1 cup, or some other video of a guy apparently castrating himself or something similar. I deliberately avoided those on the thinking that there are some things that you just cannot "un-see". Increasingly I find this true of some modern movies (not joking).
It seems like Facebook could make this problem gradually disappear. Doesn't Facebook have a TOS? Can't accounts be banned (after reasonable warning) for posting things that violate TOS?
When banning an account, Facebook should be like Google in that they take extraordinary steps to ensure that the individual behind it never again creates another Facebook account. Ever.
Wouldn't you then reach a point where the individuals who would post such horrible things are no longer part of the Facebook user base?
It's easy for me to be armchair quarterback since I intend never to create my first Facebook account.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 25 2018, @03:38PM
The original sub was from the "Two Mods, One Goatse Dept". Perhaps Fnord couldn't see the reference or perhaps Fnord is one who can see and has seen and has changed the Fnord Dept to something more Fnord widely applicable?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Arik on Tuesday September 25 2018, @04:02PM
With you there. Especially re: Hollywood.
On the other hand, if that's part of the job from the get-go, I think you'd kind of have to accept that, not sue them for failing to provide you with all the psychotherapy you might need to "recover."
"It seems like Facebook could make this problem gradually disappear. Doesn't Facebook have a TOS? Can't accounts be banned (after reasonable warning) for posting things that violate TOS?"
HELLO Newfriend! Welcome to the internets!
Yeah, that's a 'solution' that's been failing more or less continuously since the first BBS met the first troll.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Tuesday September 25 2018, @06:36PM (1 child)
A business model of one cultural group producing culturally appropriated propaganda for consumption of another cultural group.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 25 2018, @10:10PM
You're just excreting poopy diamonds today!
(Score: 2) by edIII on Tuesday September 25 2018, @07:45PM (3 children)
2 girls 1 cup was more about being exposed to the trauma of it....... then quickly deciding to inflict it upon another. The video is fairly disgusting, but non-violent. What was violent was the retching it induced in some others that viewed it. It was like a viral practical joke. Lookup reaction videos to it. That's the part that was fun, was seeing the devastation in some people's faces. Reaction video porn more aptly describes it.
I do remember showing it to a buddy who had his father visiting him for their home country. He just kept looking at us and asking, "That's not real is it? That's fake stuff in the movies right? People don't actually do that right?". He left the country absolutely haunted by it :)
That video of the guy cutting off his dick though, I decided the same thing you did. Not even once.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday September 25 2018, @07:56PM (2 children)
The reaction videos were enough for me to not watch either one. It made me think about being more careful.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by edIII on Tuesday September 25 2018, @09:02PM (1 child)
I never had a choice. Somebody else inflicted it upon me :)
By careful, you mean I should of been more suspicious of my friend's smiles...
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday September 26 2018, @01:02PM
I suppose that is one meaning of careful. Who do you trust, and how much. Hopefully friends would realize that such a thing should not be done. Or that you would not want to see it, even as a joke. And that knowing you, they would respect your values, because they are friends.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.