In a huge recognition of the emotional toll content moderation takes on the moderators, Facebook has agreed to pay its current and former moderators $52 million as compensation for job-related mental health issues, the Verge reported on May 12. In addition to the compensation, Facebook will also provide counselling services to them at work, as per a preliminary settlement filed in San mateo Superior Court on May 8. How much is the compensation? Each moderator will be paid at least $1,000 (~₹75,500) that can be spent however they like. They could be eligible for an additional $1,500 (~₹1,13,270) if they are diagnosed with a mental health condition. If moderators receive more than one diagnosis, such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and depression, they could be eligible for up to $6,000 (~₹4,50,000). Moderators with qualifying diagnosis could also submit evidence of other injuries suffered due to their time at Facebook and receive up to $50,000 (~₹37,76,000) in damages. However, the exact payout could shrink significantly if majority of the class is found to be eligible for benefits, Verge pointed out. Who is covered? 11,250 moderators in California, Arizona, Texas and Florida from 2015 until now. According to Verge, as many as half of them could be eligible for extra compensation related to mental health issues, including depression and addition, that are associated with their work for Facebook. A Facebook spokesperson told MediaNama that this settlement currently covers only content moderators in the US. This is the statement Facebook emailed us: "We are…
