“Two Microsoft employees who had to watch ‘horrific images’ of murder, child pornography and bestiality as part of their ‘online safety’ job have sued the company after developing post-traumatic stress disorder,” June Williams reports for Courthouse News.
“Henry Soto and Greg Blauert say Microsoft failed to warn them about the dangers of the job and failed to provide psychological support. They sued the company in King County Court on Dec. 30, alleging negligence, disability discrimination and violations of the Consumer Protection Act,” Williams reports. “The men were customer service workers assigned to Microsoft’s online safety program, responsible for deciding whether content should be removed or reported to law enforcement.”
“They say they never were told about dangerous psychological impacts of the job, which included viewing child pornography, and were not allowed to turn down the assignment,” Williams reports. “Instead of providing trained therapists for the safety team, Microsoft developed a ‘Wellness Program’ that advised employees who were disturbed by images to take ‘walks and smoking breaks’ and redirect thoughts by playing video games, the men say.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: That a Microsoft “Wellness Program” would include “smoking breaks” makes perfect sense.
I would think, knowing the Internet and the underbelly of society that uses it as often as anyone else, that this should be no surprise. I advised a god daughter away from a similar job at Facebook.
People can be horrible.
It’s difficult to understand the pain security employees at any number of companies, not just Microsoft, have to face. The human mind can be very evil. I think when it comes to CP and MDK – it should be investigated voluntarily and with solid counseling and debreafing. Also it should be treated like radiation, with a time limit and a life time limit. PTSD is real and does not have to be based on the battlefield.
I feel for these employees. They should have been warned and given a choice.
Is it just me, or is it even more disturbing that only 2 employees objected to watching this material? What about the rest of the employees? How many of them have low moral standards, are closet peodiphiles or just pretty sick people in general?
Quiet Objectors?
But I hear you. Some people like to see that stuff.
I get panic attacks just thinking about it.
I’m sure more than two objected and/or quit. It’s got to be a horrible job. Only two have filed a suit. I’ve objected to many things in my life, but I’ve never sued over any of them.
It was not a surprise. They were told they would occasionally see these things. They just didn’t realize the toll it would take on them, and they believe Microsoft should have taken better care of them. For me, and for probably most of the people who took that job, I would have taken personal responsibility for my choice and simply quit when it became unbearable (which it surely would!)
More likely they are just mentally strong enough to handle it to a better degree. Some can handle violence and gore and other disturbing imagery, both real and fiction. Others faint at the thought of blood. Not terribly surprising, and its doesn’t mean they liked or enjoyed it by any means.
As horrible as a job like that must be, some people must just realise that it has to be done to protect others and resolve themselves to getting it done.
Sounds like someone wants easy money to me.
Toss the case out.
Toss yourself out ! That’s a disgraceful and disrespectful position to take. You think its easy for these people ? get a grip ! If my employer subjected me to this you better be sure I would get revenge, if not a lawsuit then I would find a way. They weren’t even allowed to decline, meaning what…they get fired or reprimanded for refusing to watch horrific murder & child port etc !
sheesh…sounds like a weekend with John Podesta.
Eugene, you are thinking of that orange troll who is into urine. What was your uncle’s name again?
somehow, I KNEW you’d be a defender of child porn.
So Microsoft, a company not affiliate with the government or law enforcement, is legally allowed to possess, and force people to watch, child pornography. Am I the only one who finds this beyond disturbing?
LOL it’s not like they were “assigned” to watch child pornography, and that Microsoft was keeping it around for that purpose. Their job was to review flagged user-generated content, some of which happened to be that. Somebody has to do that job. It’s not done by elves.
Maybe, but that does seem to be a job you should be done by people who agree to it. If someone had a trauma history prior to the job, that could be very bad for them.
My hunch is they DID agree to the job — but to keep the job they had to view ALL objectionable content. It’s not like Microsoft forced them to watch the screen. But I agree with others who agree this is a job you should only have for a very limited time.
There was a report about foreign workers who do this sort of thing for other websites, and the average time on the job is measured in months. There’s just too much psychic pain involved. Sadly, PTSD is all-too common for these type of workers…
that’s why they are getting sued, and why Microshaft will lose.
Microsoft probably figured everyone has a smoke after sex. At least, that’s what they see in the movies.
How does Microsoft have in their possession media that sounds from the description to be entirely illegal?
That Microsoft ‘required’ anyone to watch this illegal material opens them up to more than just a lawsuit over PTSD. What a lousy company, as usual.
Anybody who hosts user content is in “possession” (including Apple). Their job was to review flagged content and respond appropriately, including alerting law enforcement. They can’t do that without looking at it.
I see your point but find it to be highly debatable. “I know child pornography etc. when I see it” is a common response. Thankfully, I’ve never had to put that philosophy to the test. I don’t want to either.
I’d rather have the lawyers and judges look over this matter, which at least from my POV sounds illegal.
Derek said POV
That’s funny!
You’re a ‘Dick’! That’s obvious!
Respectfully, I don’t think you’re understanding the situation. Content gets flagged for one of many different reasons. Somebody has to review that content. Usually it’s run of the mill stuff, but occasionally it’s something highly objectionable or even illegal. In those rare cases law enforcement gets involved, but until then it’s simply part of somebody’s job to look at it.
You questioned how Microsoft could have this in their possession. It’s from users. Microsoft is not stashing a child porn collection and making it someone’s job to watch it.
Apple has billions of user photos. Certainly some of them are despicable and even illegal to possess.
Isn’t that part of the regular indoctrination for folks from that country?
Gotta be fake news. What company would do something like this and not expect to get sued, or worse. Cmon.
Not fake. What did you think happens when you flag a post on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or any other website? Some human being has to click on it and decide whether to pull the post, or let it go. There are TENS OF THOUSANDS of workers who do this job, often in low-wage countries.
Yup and MS totally failed and dropped the ball when it came to preparing their employees for it and the for the way they trained them.
Tens of thousands of others who do this job probably had MUCH better training and prep that these folks.