Meta in row after workers who saw smart glasses users having sex lose jobs

Meta terminated a major AI training contract with outsourcing firm Sama affecting 1,108 Kenyan workers shortly after they publicly disclosed viewing intimate content captured by Meta smart glasses users, raising serious concerns about data privacy, worker safety, and regulatory compliance. The incident has triggered investigations by UK and Kenyan data protection authorities and highlights critical risks around AI training workflows, vendor management, and the handling of sensitive personal data—issues that demand immediate attention from IT leadership responsible for third-party AI infrastructure. CIOs must urgently reassess vendor contracts involving sensitive content review, implement robust privacy-by-design frameworks, and establish clear governance policies for human-in-the-loop AI systems to avoid similar regulatory, reputational, and legal exposure.