Facebook worker who died of heart attack was under ‘unworldly’ pressure

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO. The company’s moderators have been recorded “crying, breaking down, throwing up” after viewing disturbing videos
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO. The company’s moderators have been recorded “crying, breaking down, throwing up” after viewing disturbing videos
CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES

A content moderator contracted to work for Facebook died after having a heart attack at his desk while under “unworldly” pressure, it is claimed.

Keith Utley, a 42-year-old father of two, was wheeled out of a squalid office by paramedics during a night shift in March as one colleague prayed in tongues and others continued to moderate posts, according to workers who broke non-disclosure agreements.

Details of Mr Utley’s death were among the revelations from three former Facebook moderators regarding conditions at Cognizant, a company in Tampa, Florida, contracted to review posts for possible removal.

Speaking to The Verge, a technology news network, the former moderators described “sweatshop” conditions where they were paid $15 an hour to review posts that included child abuse images and