The safety of numerous Facebook moderators was compromised after their details were reportedly exposed to potential terrorists.
According to The Guardian, a glitch in the software resulted in the personal profiles of content moderators appearing as notifications in the activity log of Facebook groups last year.
There were 1,000 workers across 22 departments affected by this security lapse, which took place in November 2016.
It is believed 40 of these moderators worked in a counter-terrorism unit and have since been flagged as high priority victims after Facebook said their profiles could have been viewed by suspected terrorists.
Speaking to The Guardian, one of the moderators, an Iraqi-born Irish citizen, said he was forced to flee Ireland and go into hiding after he reportedly discovered several people who had ties with a possible terrorist group he banned viewed his personal profile.
The security breach has been confirmed by Facebook. In an official statement, a spokesperson said the safety of their employees was a priority and the issue was fixed as soon as they learned about it.
An investigation was launched to establish how the incident occurred.
This security leak has sparked debate as to whether the money earned by content moderators of Facebook was worth the risk they face.
“Facebook: $15/hr for content moderators. Only a slight risk of being killed by terrorists,” wrote Johannes Paulsen on Twitter.
Aside from this situation, the job carries other cons that could include having to review graphic content containing scenes of murder, suicide, and rape, noted The Guardian in an article addressing the psychological toll of working as a content moderator for the social media site.
A Facebook spokesperson admitted the work could be difficult, adding that the company provided psychological support and wellness resources to people working in these roles.
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