The Cleaners

Who makes the decisions on what we get to see on social media and what is to remain hidden? The major companies of Silicon Valley employ tens of thousands of people, so-called "content moderators", to delete pictures from Facebook and Youtube etc. Sitting in inconspicuous offices in the Philippines, these content moderators have signed a secrecy agreement with their employer. Their task is to remove "incriminating" images or other unwanted content which, however, leaves them exposed to social media’s "dirt". The disturbing documentary THE CLEANERS gazes over the shoulder of these people as they carry out their secret mission. The film also tells of the bursting of the utopian social media dream and shows how fake news and hatred are spread and amplified by means of the ever-growing social media networks.