Accenture PLC: Profiting from Employee Trauma and the Reality of Content Moderation
For $500 million annually, Facebook contracts Accenture PLC to moderate content that violates its Terms of Service and is not caught by artificial intelligence. The graphic nature of the content has led to mental health issues for content moderators, as well as multi-million-dollar lawsuits, leading Accenture managers to reconsider the value of the Facebook contract.
1. To inform about the origins of content moderation, and how technology is implemented in the process today in order to increase efficiency.
2. To highlight the importance of transparency during the new employee onboarding process, so workers know what they are getting themselves into by signing their contract.
3. To encourage discussion of Facebook’s Terms of Service, and if it is feasible for human moderators to maintain this level of service.
4. To provide an example of how the continued mistreatment of employees can lead to ongoing legal action.
5. To encourage discussion of the responsibility of employee mental health, particularly when utilizing a contractor model.