TikTok moderators have filed a class action lawsuit against the social network and the service company ByteDance for causing moral harm. This was reported by Bloomberg on December 24.
The main complaint of moderators, whose task is to inspect and remove inappropriate content, is that TikTok does not provide them with decent working conditions.
“The 10,000 TikTok content moderators are regularly exposed to child pornography, rape, beheadings and animal mutilation,” the lawsuit says.
Fraser, speaking on behalf of all of the applicants, said she suffers from PTSD due to all the disturbing videos she has watched. She also has nightmares at night.
Also, according to the complaint, TikTok did not follow the recommendations developed by the same company for moderators, which include psychological support and limiting the shift to four hours.
“Due to the huge amount of content, moderators need to watch one video for no more than 25 seconds, because of this, they have to simultaneously track three to 10 videos,” the lawsuit says.
On behalf of the moderators, Fraser seeks compensation for the negative impact of the content. In addition, she asks the court to pass a ruling that would oblige the company to create a medical fund for the moderators.
TikTok, in turn, declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings. It noted that the company is committed to “fostering a caring work environment for our employees and contractors.”
Earlier, on December 16, a magistrate court in Moscow fined video hosting TikTok 4 million rubles after refusing to remove content banned in Russia.
On September 20, the Tagansky court of the capital recognized the appointment of a fine for TikTok as legal due to the failure to remove prohibited content. At the end of May, the magistrate of judicial district No. 422 of the Tagansky district of Moscow found the video hosting guilty of violating Russian law and imposed a fine of 1.5 million rubles.
In April, a Russian court also fined TikTok for not removing banned content. The company was charged with 2.6 million rubles. The reason was the spread of calls on the social network to participate in unauthorized actions at the end of January. Prohibited content was directed at minors. A criminal case was initiated into the placement of posts. However, then the video hosting service ignored the requirements to block content.
TikTok is a social network owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The initial version of the service was launched in September 2016. TikTok hosts custom videos ranging in length from 15 seconds to three minutes.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
