Refugees Unknowingly Help US Military Operations Through Gig Work Platform
Kakuma, 23 February 2026
A Somali refugee in Kenya’s Kakuma camp worked for Australian tech company Appen, transcribing audio without knowing it supported US military intelligence operations. Appen, which employs over one million global gig workers, secured $17 million in US defence contracts between 2005-2020, including projects for the secretive Big Safari unit and Rivet Joint spy planes. Workers from countries targeted by US military operations remained unaware their linguistic skills were being used for surveillance purposes, highlighting ethical concerns about transparency in the gig economy’s role in defence contracts.
Life in Kakuma: Digital Work from the Desert
Ismail’s story begins in the sprawling Kakuma refugee camp in north-west Kenya, where he found himself after fleeing Somalia as a child [1]. Between 2015 and 2018, whilst living in this remote desert facility, he discovered an unexpected opportunity through Appen, an Australian technology company that has been recruiting gig workers globally since its founding in Sydney in 1996 [1]. The company’s reach extends to over one million people speaking more than 500 languages, creating a vast network of digital labourers who train artificial intelligence systems from locations across the world [1]. For Ismail and his colleagues at Kakuma, the work involved transcribing and translating Somali audio content, providing a vital source of income in an environment where traditional employment opportunities remain scarce.
Questions Without Answers
The work itself raised questions that went unanswered. “My friends and I, we used to ask when we were transcribing these things – what is it about?” Ismail recalled [1]. This curiosity was shared by Hassan, another Somali speaker who worked on similar transcription and data collection projects for Appen. “They were secretive about the ultimate goal,” Hassan explained. “They never share like that. They will only give us guidelines or instructions for conducting the tasks … but besides that, we didn’t know where this data was headed” [1]. This pattern of limited information reflects a broader approach within Appen’s operations, where military projects were closely guarded even within the company’s Sydney and Washington offices [1]. The workers’ linguistic expertise in Somali was clearly valuable, but the purpose remained deliberately obscured from those providing the service.
The Military Connection Revealed
What Ismail and his colleagues could not have known was that their meticulous transcription work was supporting US military intelligence operations. Appen has held significant defence contracts, receiving $17 million from US military agencies between 2005 and 2020 for various linguistic projects [1]. Among these was $145,000 specifically allocated for work related to the Rivet Joint spy plane, a sophisticated surveillance aircraft [1]. From 2015 to 2017, during the period when Ismail was working from Kakuma, Appen secured three subcontracts valued at $287,500 to provide language data files for a “tactical language interpreter” project, with one contract explicitly mentioning the Rivet Joint programme [1]. The company also performed work for Big Safari, a secretive US military unit [1]. The strategic importance of such surveillance capabilities was demonstrated recently when the UK dispatched one of its three Rivet Joint aircraft to the North Atlantic last month to support the seizure of the Marinera tanker [1].
Ethical Implications and Worker Rights
The revelation that Somali refugees were unknowingly contributing to military operations targeting their region of origin highlights significant ethical concerns within the gig economy. Appen held two military contracts specifically mentioning Somali: one for creating a database of Somali telephone conversations, and another for an Air Force research project focused on “speech and audio exploitation technologies” [1]. This work occurred whilst the US military has been engaged in conflict in Somalia since at least 2007 [1]. The moral implications were not lost on some within the industry. As one former Appen employee, identified as Will, reflected: “In one instance I sort of felt very like I was part of a war somewhere … that was uncomfortable” [1]. Joan Kinyua, president of the Data Labellers Association founded in Kenya in 2025, advocates for greater transparency in the industry. “I feel like it would be very important if [companies] just disclose information like who are we working for, what is the purpose of this,” she stated [1]. Kinyua emphasised the personal stakes involved: “Because at times you might do a project and then you find you’re putting other people in danger, or it does not sit well with your morals or even with your culture” [1]. Her organisation describes data workers as “the invisible architects shaping the future of technology,” yet these architects often work without blueprints, unaware of what they are building [1]. The association highlights that gig workers face precarious contracts, mental health challenges, and limited growth opportunities, whilst remaining unaware whether their datasets are sold to top-secret military clients, private sector technology companies, or both [1].