City
Epaper

Facebook, YouTube content moderators asked to sign PTSD forms

By IANS | Updated: January 25, 2020 10:10 IST

Content moderators at Facebook and YouTube in Europe and in the US have been asked to sign forms detailing that the job may cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Open in App

According to The Financial Times and The Verge, global professional services firm Accenture which provides content moderators for big tech firms have asked them to sign a form, explicitly acknowledging that their job could cause post-traumatic stress disorder.

Accenture runs at least three content moderation sites for Facebook in Europe, including in Warsaw, Lisbon and Dublin.

A similar document was also provided by Accenture to workers at a YouTube content moderation facility in Austin, Texas.

Accenture said the wellbeing of workers was a "top priority".

"We regularly update the information we give our people to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the work they do," the company said in a statement.

"According to an employee who signed one of these acknowledgment forms, every moderator at the facility was emailed a link and asked to sign immediately," the report said.

The Accenture form says workers might review "disturbing" videos and that moderating "such content may impact my mental health, and it could even lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Both Facebook and Google said they did not review Accenture's new form.

Facebook is facing lawsuits from former content moderators over a range of mental health issues in California and Ireland.

Case of PTSD and other mental health issues have been on the rise among content moderators.

The Verge's probe last month into Accenture's Austin site described hundreds of low-paid immigrants toiling in, removing videos flagged for extreme violence and terrorist content.

"The moment they quit Accenture or get fired, they lose access to all mental health services. One former moderator for Google said she was still experiencing symptoms of PTSD two years after leaving," the report claimed.

Last year, The Verge published a report of Facebook moderators and one of them said he "sleeps with a gun by his side" after doing the job.

( With inputs from IANS )

Open in App

Related Stories

BusinessEPFO intensifies efforts for reduction of litigation, to use WhatsApp to enhance reach

NationalProfit generated from forest produce, agriculture will directly benefit tribal communities in Bastar: Amit Shah

EntertainmentKaruppu Box Office Collection Day 5: Suriya-Trisha’s Film Nears Rs 100 Crore Nett in India; Check Day-Wise Earnings Report

InternationalInvestment from Nordic countries in India increased by nearly 200% in last decade: PM Modi

InternationalWill focus on strengthening cooperation between India and Italy: PM Modi upon arrival in Rome

टेकमेनिया Realted Stories

TechnologyPiyush Goyal chairs review meeting to boost India's startup, innovation landscape

TechnologyDRDO achieves development trials of precision guided missile launched by unmanned aerial vehicle

TechnologyDGCA directs OEM to inspect fuel control switch in presence of its officers for Air India

TechnologyCMFRI study reveals complex mating patterns in Indian Squid

TechnologyHere's why the POCO X8 Pro Max is built differently