Facebook moderators say they're being forced to return to the office and 'risk our lives'

Facebook moderators who say they've been forced to return to their offices amid the COVID-19 pandemic are blasting the company in an open letter, accusing executives of sacrificing "our health and safety for profit."

Over 200 Facebook moderators penned a letter to executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to express their "dismay at your decision to risk our lives," saying they have been required to return to in-office work amid the coronavirus pandemic after previously being permitted to work from home, CNBC reports. The moderators say they can work from home if they receive a doctor's note showing that they're personally at high risk for COVID-19 — though "even this is not offered in some workplaces" — but not if they live vulnerable relatives.

"Facebook needs us," the letter reads. "It is time that you acknowledged this and valued our work. To sacrifice our health and safety for profit is immoral."

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The letter asks that Facebook permit anyone who is either high risk for COVID-19 or lives with someone who is high risk be allowed to work from home "indefinitely." Other demands in the letter include that Facebook "bring the content moderation workforce in house, giving us the same rights and benefits as full Facebook staff," and offer moderators the same "mental and physical health support" as employees. Facebook employees are permitted to continue working from home until July 2021, but the platform's moderators are classified as contractors and work for outsourcing firms including Accenture and CPL, The New York Times notes. The letter was also addressed to Accenture CEO Julie Sweet and CPL CEO Anne Heraty.

In a statement to the Times, Facebook said that a majority of its content reviewers are working from home and that the company "has exceeded health guidance on keeping facilities safe for any in-office work."