More than 1,000 low-paid workers in Kenya have been suddenly dismissed by an outsourcing firm working for Meta, in a move activists say highlights the insecurity of tech jobs in the Global South.

Sama, a Nairobi-based company that handles content moderation and AI training tasks for Meta, said on Thursday that the layoffs followed the termination of its contract with the US tech giant.

The development comes weeks after reports emerged that some Kenyan data annotation workers were required to review footage captured via Meta’s AI smart glasses, including sensitive personal recordings such as bathroom use and sexual activity.

The dismissed workers, many of them involved in AI training, were reportedly given just six days’ notice, according to the Oversight Lab, an organisation that advocates for fair regulation and ethical deployment of technology across Africa.

The group said it was now advising affected employees on possible legal action.

This follows a previous round of large-scale layoffs of Sama content moderators working for Meta.

In 2024, a civil lawsuit was filed alleging that around 140 workers developed severe PTSD, depression, and anxiety after being exposed to disturbing online content during their moderation work.

Last month, Meta paused its partnership with Sama amid allegations that some workers were required to review private footage captured through the company’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, a product frequently worn by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

“Photos and videos are private to users,” Meta said. “Humans review AI content to improve product performance, for which we get clear user consent. We’ve also decided to end our work with Sama because they don’t meet our standards.”

Sama said in a statement: “We recognise the impact this has on our team and are supporting affected employees with care and respect.”

The company also described itself as “a responsible corporate citizen.”

The Oversight Lab said the layoffs were devastating and shocking, adding that the sudden job losses had left affected workers in a difficult and uncertain position.

“The time has come for us to recognise that our current strategies are harming our youth, hurting our economy and in no way advance Kenya’s participation in the AI ecosystem,” it said.