Meta cuts contractors who reported seeing Ray-Ban Meta users have sex

In February, a significant number of employees from a contractor hired by Meta to perform data annotation for the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses reported having to view sensitive and private footage captured by the devices. Approximately two months later, Meta decided to terminate its contract with the firm, Sama. A recent report by the BBC highlighted that the decision came shortly after complaints surfaced from Sama employees regarding the explicit content they were exposed to while working with the footage from Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Reports from Swedish publications, including Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten, along with insights from Kenyan journalist Naipanoi Lepapa, revealed that workers expressed concerns about viewing personal moments, including individuals changing clothes and engaging in private activities. Sama, a company based in Kenya that was responsible for various data annotation tasks for Meta's AI systems, stated that the cancellation impacted a total of 1,108 workers. A spokesperson for Meta explained that the decision to end the partnership was due to Sama not meeting their standards. However, the specifics of these standards were not disclosed, and inquiries from Ars Technica have yet to receive a response from Meta. BBC reported that Sama employees believe the contract was terminated in retaliation for their complaints about the disturbing nature of the footage they were required to view. In a statement to the BBC, Sama defended its practices, asserting that it has consistently adhered to operational, security, and quality standards required by its clients, including Meta. They emphasized that they had never been informed of any shortcomings in their performance. An anonymous employee from Sama previously remarked that workers felt pressured to continue their tasks despite being subjected to private and sensitive content. Following the outcry from Sama's workers, Meta made the decision to cease its collaboration with the contractor, as reported by a spokesperson.