San Francisco, Aug 18 (IANS): Facebook is facing flak from moderators who have alleged that a contractor from the social networking giant pressured counsellors to break confidentiality agreements by leaking discussions with employees.

Numerous investigations have described this workforce as notoriously underpaid and overworked in crappy working conditions that require them to scan through some of the most disturbing posts the internet can offer. You know, all the things it might behoove someone to see a therapist about, the Gizmodo on Saturday quoted The Intercept.

According to media reports, this pressure to leak confidential information is being deemed as a "careless breach of trust" and a "possible legal violation".

This most recent criticism comes from a site in Austin, Texas, led by Dublin-headquartered professional services company Accenture -- an independent contractor Facebook hired to oversee 1,500 of its content moderators.

Accenture and Facebook also employ trauma counsellors, a.k.a. "wellness coaches", to help staff cope after screening all that potentially graphic content to judge whether it violates the company's terms of service, the report added.