Open letter to President Biden from tech workers in Kenya
22 May 2024
Dear President Biden,
Cc: Ambassador Katherine Tai, US Trade Representative,
We are 97 data labellers, content moderators and Artificial Intelligence (AI) workers in Nairobi, Kenya. We work for American companies like Facebook, ScaleAI, OpenAI via their outsourcing companies in Kenya.
We understand you will meet Kenya’s President William Ruto on his official state visit, to “mark the 60th anniversary of US – Kenyan diplomatic relations and will celebrate a partnership that is delivering for the people of the United States and Kenya.” We write because we understand you will discuss, “trade, investment and technological innovation” – issues in which our workforce has a direct and personal stake.
US Big Tech companies are systemically abusing and exploiting African workers. In Kenya, these US companies are undermining the local labor laws, the country’s justice system and violating international labor standards. Our working conditions amount to modern day slavery. Any trade-related discussions between the US and Kenya must take into account these abuses and ensure that the rights of all workers are protected.
To ensure future US – Kenyan partnerships deliver for the working people of Kenya, we call on you to:
- Commit to engaging with us and other workers in the Big Tech supply chain, during any US – Kenya trade related negotiations. Please commit to publishing any draft text in future negotiations so we can engage with it seriously.
- Ensure any US – Kenyan Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership agreements include robust provisions to prevent union busting and ensure US companies operating in Kenya must comply with the core conventions of the International Labor Organisation – and provide serious enforcement mechanisms and meaningful penalties, should law-breaking companies fail to meet their obligations.
- Ensure US Big Tech companies can be held accountable in the US courts for their unlawful operations abroad, in particular for their human rights and labor violations.
- Ensure a fundamental respect for Kenya’s Constitution and sovereignty sits at the heart of all negotiations involved in establishing the Kenyan Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership.
We are glad Kenya is one of the largest emerging tech hubs in the world. Known as the ‘Silicon Savannah’, Nairobi is an important global player in the technology industry. As tech workers, we are proud to play a role in the development and training of world-class emerging technologies – and, crucially, making them safe.
Kenya has high levels of unemployment and the tech boom has created much needed new jobs here, particularly for young people who are the majority of digital workers. We need these jobs, but not jobs at any cost.
We do this work at great cost to our health, our lives and our families. US tech giants export their toughest and most dangerous jobs overseas. The work is mentally and emotionally draining. We scrub Facebook, TikTok and Instagram to ensure these important platforms do not become awash with hate speech and incitement to violence. We label images and text to train generative AI tools like ChatGPT for OpenAI. Our work involves watching murder and beheadings, child abuse and rape, pornography and bestiality, often for more than 8 hours a day. Many of us do this work for less than $2 per hour.
These companies do not provide us with the necessary mental health care to keep us safe. As a result, many of us live and work with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We weren’t warned about the horrors of the work before we started.
Union busting is rife in the digital sector. When Facebook content moderators attempted to organize and form a union in Kenya – the entire workforce was sacked. Meta have now reportedly shifted all moderation work to Ghana to dodge accountability.
The same happened to Kenyan workers labeling data for US AI startup ScaleAI in March 2024. ScaleAI’s outsourcing firm Remotasks left the African market overnight. Workers in Kenya instrumental in the development and training of their AI models were sacked with no notice, left unemployed and owed significant sums of unpaid wages.
US tech giants consider themselves above Kenyan law. They ignore court orders. When Meta was ordered to pay Facebook moderators their salaries, the company ignored, and continues to ignore orders. A year after the ruling, the wages are still not being paid.
Without our work these platforms would be unusable and companies like Meta would lose billions of dollars overnight, yet we are paid a fraction of what workers in the US earn.
This situation also threatens the safety and wellbeing of the users of these platforms. Numerous studies have shown skilled workers like us, with appropriate training and experience, and a nuanced understanding of local language and context, are crucial to effective moderation and labeling. Yet we are treated as disposable – when we ask for better pay and conditions we are sacked – and the knowledge and experience we have gathered in enabling these platforms to operate is thrown away.
Mr President, we have read much about your commitment to labor rights and to “worker-centered trade”. That’s why we are writing to ask for your support. Again, we want more tech jobs from American companies in Kenya but these jobs cannot be jobs that destroy the lives of an entire generation.
You have said repeatedly that you care deeply about good jobs. You have the power to stop our exploitation by US companies, clean up this work and give us dignity and fair working conditions. In short, you can make sure there are good jobs for Kenyans too, not just Americans.
We should not have to sacrifice our health, our wellbeing and sadly, in some cases our lives for the profit margins of Big Tech. We urge you to take action and consider our requests carefully in these discussions and beyond.
Kind Regards,
1. Abdi Mohamed Ali
2. Abdiaziz Hussein Adan
3. Abdiaziz Osman Adan
4. Abdikadir Alio Guyo
5. Abdirizak Muktar Ahmed
6. Albert Labatt
7. Alex Kairu
8. Asha Abdirahim
9. Bashir S Joda
10. Berisa Tesfaye
11. Bett Benard
12. Bill Kelvin Mulinya
13. Botlhokwa Ranta
14. Caryn Pieterse
15. Dare Samuel Arulogun
16. David Kamau
17. David Nkurunziza
18. Dawit
19. Emmanuel Ezekiel
20. Endalew
21. Esther Maingi
22. Esther Michael
23. Eutychus
24. Felix Munde Ondigo
25. Festus
26. Frank Mugisha K.
27. Frankline Maloba
28. George Kipsang
29. Gideon Panu
30. Hussein Wako
31. Ian Kem
32. Ian Sulecha
33. Ibrahim
34. Ibrahim Galgallo
35. James Oyange
36. Jatani Hussein
37. Joan Kinyua
38. John Njoroge
39. Joshua Juma
40. Juanita Jones
41. Karanja Njoroge
42. Kauna Ibrahim Malgwi
43. Kelvin Magu
44. Kevin Owuor
45. Kimurgor Koech
46. Kings Korodi
47. Koffi Iranyibutse
48. Larson Abel
49. Lawal Mohammad Shuaibu
50. Lubega Edward
51. Margaret
52. Mark Agaba
53. Mawerere Eric
54. Meaza Shura
55. Michael
56. Mohamud Ahmed haji
57. Mophat Okinyi
58. Mubby
59. Naftali Wambalo
60. Nahom Tekeste
61. Nathan Nkunzimana
62. Odirile Moleboge
63. Richard Mathenge
64. Sani Muhammad Faisal
65. Sausepeter Ojiambo
66. Shukria Tifow
67. Sonia Kgomo
68. Ssengooba Oswald Allan
69. Tikky Olang’o
70. Trevin Brownie
71. Waziri Chriz
72. Yona Bedasa Debela
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