Major Job Cuts at Telus International: Over 2,000 Content Moderators Laid Off by Meta

Overview

Canadian tech firm Telus International, responsible for moderating content on Meta's social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, is set to eliminate more than 2,000 jobs in Barcelona. This decision was announced by a Spanish union on Monday.

Details of the Job Cuts

The layoffs come after Meta has made significant changes to its content moderation policies and has reduced its third-party fact-checking in the United States. Telus, operating locally as Barcelona Digital Services, informed the union during a meeting that it had terminated the contracts of all workers performing content moderation tasks for Meta, affecting 2,059 employees.

According to the union CCOO, this redundancy plan was initiated following the cancellation of Meta's contract with Telus, which has been providing content moderation services since 2018. The union also stated that they have reached a preliminary agreement to ensure that affected workers receive the highest possible legal compensation.

Support for Affected Workers

A Telus spokesperson, when contacted by AFP, refrained from disclosing the exact number of job losses but emphasized the company's commitment to supporting the affected team members. This includes offering full assistance, such as relocation opportunities for as many employees as possible.

The UGT union, also involved in the negotiations, mentioned that the layoffs would occur over the months of May, June, July, and September. They highlighted the need for professionalization in the moderation sector, which these workers provided.

Meta's Content Moderation Changes

Meta has historically invested heavily in hiring thousands of content moderators worldwide to manage sensitive content. Recently, however, they indicated a shift in strategy: they will cease proactive scanning for hate speech and will only review posts in response to user reports. This change aligns with complaints from various political factions regarding the perceived bias in fact-checking programs.

In a statement made by Mark Zuckerberg, he pointed out that many fact-checkers have been viewed as politically biased, which has undermined trust among users, particularly in the U.S. He stated that the company would replace U.S.-based fact-checkers with a community notes system similar to that used by X, owned by Elon Musk.

Meta has not yet responded to requests for further comment regarding the job cuts and moderation strategy changes.