Kenyan outsourcing company for Meta sacks more than 1,000 workers

More than 1,000 low-paid workers in Kenya have been abruptly sacked by an outsourcing company for the US social media corporation Meta, in what activists said was a “shocking” move exposing the precariousness of global south tech workers.

Sama, a company based in Nairobi to which Meta outsourced content moderation and AI training work, announced on Thursday that the workers were being laid off after Meta terminated a contract. That came in the after reports some of the Kenyan workers involved in data annotation were asked to view content filmed by the company’s AI smart glasses showing wearers using the toilet or having sex.

The workers, many involved in AI training, have been given six days notice, according to the Oversight Lab, an organisation that advocates for fair regulation and deployment of technology across Africa. It said it is advising the workers on legal options.

The redundancies come after an earlier wave of mass layoffs of Sama content moderators for Meta which was followed by a civil lawsuit alleging severe PTSD, depression and anxiety among 140 workers as a result of sometimes horrific online content they had to watch.

Meta last month paused its work with Sama after allegations about the workers viewing private scenes filmed by the company’s Ray-Ban smart-glasses, which are regularly worn by its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

“Photos and videos are private to users,” Meta said in a statement. “Humans review AI content to improve product performance, for which we get clear user consent. We’ve also decided to end our work with Sama because they don’t meet our standards.”

The layoffs come in the same month that Meta was hit by a jury verdict in Los Angeles that it had deliberately designed addictive social media products that hooked a young user and led to her being harmed.

Sama said in a statement: “We recognise the impact this has on our team and are supporting affected employees with care and respect.”

It said Sama is “a responsible corporate citizen” and that its teams receive living wages and full benefits, and have consistently had access to comprehensive wellness resources, full medical benefits and on-site counselling support.

The Oversight Lab called the layoffs “devastating” and “shocking”.

It said: “The time has come for us to recognise that our current strategies are harming our youth, hurting our economy and in no way advance Kenya’s participation in the AI ecosystem.”

Kauna Malgwi, a former worker at Sama, said: “This issue is not confined to one company or contract. It shows how the global AI industry is shaped. Power sits with large technology companies. Risk flows downward, affecting outsourced workers, often in the global south, who have the least protection and highest exposure.”