Meta quietly terminated the contract with the contractor after the scandal surrounding the video with Ray‑Ban Meta.

Situation with Sama and Meta Ray‑Ban

What happened
Who is involved
Employees of the Kenyan company Sama, a contractor for Meta, were forced to view and annotate videos recorded by Meta’s smart Ray‑Ban glasses. The footage contained explicit scenes (changing clothes, using the bathroom, intimate contact). February 2024

Sama, Meta
After the incident became public, Meta terminated its contract with Sama. Two months after February (April–May)

Meta
As a result of the contract termination, 1,108 Sama employees were affected. —Sama

How each side handled it
Sama: “We do not comment on specific client processes or decisions, but we can confirm that cooperation with Meta is ending. We have always adhered to work standards, safety requirements and quality expectations for our projects. Our work is ethical. During this transition period we will support employees and continue servicing other clients.”

Meta: “We decided to end cooperation with Sama because they do not meet our standards. Last month we suspended work with them pending an investigation. Photos and videos are personal data of users. We review materials to improve AI only after explicit user consent.”

Technical details
* When recording is enabled on Meta Ray‑Ban glasses, a LED indicator lights up.

* Sama employees report that some users did not notice the indicator and therefore were unaware of recording.

* Meta claims it sometimes forwards content from the glasses to a chatbot with generative AI (Meta AI) and contractors for data analysis, but first processes it to protect privacy.

Legal consequences
Country | Action | Purpose
USA | Collective lawsuit against Meta and Luxottica of America (part of EssilorLuxottica) | Compensation, fines, policy change
UK | ICO plans to send a reminder letter about the need for user transparency and control | Consumer protection
Kenya | Data Protection Authority initiated an investigation | Compliance with local privacy laws

Briefly:

In February, employees of Kenyan company Sama working for Meta were required to view and annotate videos containing explicit scenes. After this became public, Meta terminated its contract with Sama, leading to the dismissal of 1,108 employees. Both partners claimed adherence to safety standards, but the incident triggered legal proceedings and regulatory scrutiny in the US, UK, and Kenya.