Summary
Luckily much of what we see on social media is safe. But somewhere, somebody has to watch all the horrific content uploaded online in order to filter it out for the general public. We speak to a former moderator who worked on Meta platforms in Ghana. Plus, the community project in Puerto Rico with an innovative way of keeping its power on. And we say goodbye to video call program Skype. (Warning – this episode includes some distressing content and a reference to suicide.)
Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Imran Rahman-Jones Editor: Monica Soriano
(Image: A blurred out picture with a graphic of an eye and the text imprinted on it: "Sensitive content". Credit: Getty Images.)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to introduce myself. My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a load of sport podcasts. I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with leading journalists, experienced pundits and the biggest sports stars. Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights straight from the player's mouths. But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is a unique access to the sporting world. |
| 0:24.6 | What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection to dedicated sports fans across the UK. |
| 0:30.6 | So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more. |
| 0:35.6 | Welcome to TechLife on the BBC World Service, |
| 0:38.7 | the programme about technology and how it's changing all our lives. |
| 0:42.9 | I'm Chris Valence. |
| 0:44.0 | This week, a former worker at a social media moderation hub in Ghana |
| 0:48.1 | tells us of the battle to protect us all from graphic social media posts |
| 0:52.7 | and the toll he believes it took on his mental |
| 0:55.9 | health. Also, as extreme weather becomes more common, how do you keep electricity grids running? |
| 1:02.1 | One Caribbean island may have the answer. And we bid goodbye to a veteran service that connected |
| 1:08.8 | the world, albeit with a few glitches. |
| 1:11.8 | We hear your memories of Skype |
| 1:13.8 | as it finally hangs up for good. There's a constant battle going on behind the scenes when we use social media. |
| 1:37.4 | It's the battle to keep the most awful, most distressing content out of our feeds. |
| 1:42.7 | Increasingly, artificial intelligence is used to catch some of the |
| 1:46.2 | worst content, but there are also armies of people called moderators around the world who review |
| 1:52.5 | potentially harmful posts and make sure the most violent, graphic and illegal content isn't seen by |
| 1:59.0 | users. One of the companies which does this is called teleperformance. |
| 2:04.4 | They provide moderation services for Facebook and Instagram. |
| 2:08.3 | But now a digital rights group is considering legal action against the companies |
| 2:13.2 | after they got reports from employees on the working conditions. |
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