Microsoft moderators claim they suffered severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because they had to view "inhumane and disgusting content" and "horrible brutality" as part of their jobs on the online safety team attacking child pornography.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of two former employees - Henry Soto and Greg Blauert - accuses Microsoft of "negligent infliction of emotional distress" for not warning them about the dangers of screening online content for some of the most vile things imaginable, and the potential for "debilitating injuries".  The men say they were subjected to viewing "indescribable sexual assaults" that were "designed to entertain the most twisted and sick minded people in the world".  Mr. Soto was "involuntarily transferred" to the unit in 2008, and worked with cops to bust up "crime rings" and "violent groups".  Mr. Blauert joined in 2012.  This required them to view "many thousands of photographs and videos" of violence and brutality. 

Microsoft wouldn't comment on the specific accusations, but says it "takes seriously its responsibility to remove and report imagery of child sexual exploitation and abuse being shared on its services, as well as the health and resiliency of the employees who do this important work".  The company created a "wellness program" for the moderators and made counseling available to them.

But plaintiff's attorney Ben Wells wrote in his filing that the company didn't go far enough.  "It's bad enough just to see a child get sexually molested," he said, "Then there are murders.  Unspeakable things are done to these children."

Wellness program counselors advised the men to take walks and smoke breaks.  They told Blauert to play video games to manage his symptoms; the complaint says he was then given a poor evaluation for "lack of production and too much time playing video games".  Soto met with psychiatrists because of sleeplessness, nightmares, and anxiety; that progressed to visual hallucinations, panic attacks in public, and depression.  Both men say they are triggered by simple things such as looking at their own children, kitchen knives, or seeing a computer.

"The public needs to understand that this work is not being done by a computer," Attorney Wells said.  "They saved children's lives.  They put people in jail that deserved to be in jail."