Facebook’s Parent Company, Meta Platforms Inc, has found itself embroiled in yet another legal battle. This time, it’s over allegations of exploitation and poor working conditions of content moderators at its Nairobi Hub in Kenya.
The High Court recently ruled that Meta Platforms Inc could be sued in Kenya, and the company has since moved to the Court of Appeal to challenge this ruling. The legal tussle continued on Monday, February 20, as the parties appeared before Justice Jacob Gakeri of the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
The petitioner, Daniel Motaung’, a former Facebook content moderator at the Nairobi Hub, is seeking to be allowed to serve Meta with the lawsuit papers outside Kenya. Meta’s lawyer, Fred Ojiambo, urged the court to suspend the hearing until the Court of Appeal determines whether the Kenyan courts have jurisdiction to hear the suit.
To add to the drama, Ojiambo claims that Meta has appealed the decision of the Labour Court after being aggrieved with the finding that it can be sued in Kenya. He further stated that the petitioner was not an employee of Meta and that the case was purely an employment-related matter.
Whether or not Meta Platforms Inc will be held accountable for the alleged exploitation and poor working conditions of its content moderators in the Nairobi Hub remains to be seen. But what’s clear is that the tech giant is not going down without a fight.
After all, it’s not the first time Facebook or its parent company has been caught up in a legal battle. And with the amount of scrutiny that tech giants have been under in recent years, it’s safe to say that it won’t be the last either.
One thing’s for sure, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this legal battle as it unfolds. Who knows what other twists and turns could be in store for this case?
In the meantime, let’s hope that the rights of content moderators are protected, and that tech companies are held accountable for any wrongdoings.
