An application by Facebook’s head office Meta to quash a lawsuit filed by a former employee of subcontractor Sama over working conditions was rejected by a Kenyan court on Monday.
The complaint was filed by a content moderator working for Meta’s subcontractor Sama, which is responsible for reviewing posts on Facebook.
In the complaint, it was claimed that the Kenya-based staff works in poor conditions, citing random wages, lack of union rights, and forced labor.
Meta tried to dismiss the case, arguing that the group does not have a presence in Kenya and that the local court had no jurisdiction over labor relations. However, this application was dismissed by High Court Judge Jacob Gakeri.
A hearing is scheduled for 8 March in the ongoing proceedings.
Several human rights activists and organizations have welcomed the decision, including the NGO Amnesty International Kenya, which said that it is “an important step that affirms the authority of Kenyan courts to protect and enforce basic human rights”.