Facebook moderator company closes Barcelona office, leaving thousands in uncertainty

Facebook’s content moderation company in Barcelona, Telus Digital, has ceased its services to Meta, leaving the jobs of 2,000 content moderators uncertain about their future.

On Thursday, a manager from Telus International, the parent company subcontracted by Meta to moderate content on Facebook and Instagram, told workers at the Torre Gloriès offices that they would be sent home.

The announcement came after all internal communications had been suspended, including access to email accounts.

Marta Valero, president of the company’s workers' committee, told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that it remains unclear whether an Employment Regulation File (ERO) will be opened for the affected employees. She added that that they hadn’t received any official communication from Telus regarding the next steps.

Telus International told ACN that its clients “are diversifying their presence and relocating services elsewhere.”

The company also said it would “continue to work with” content moderation and other strategic projects, describing the situation as an “adjustment” that “doesn’t affect Telus Digital’s 2025 plans.”

According to Valero, many employees initially believed they were having technical issues when they couldn’t access the company’s systems. Many also were unaware they weren’t supposed to come to work because not everyone had been briefed, she explained.

“We are very angry and upset,” she said, adding that the workers are waiting on information about what to do next.