Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#211

Post by bdcravens » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:26 PM UTC

Not limited to Apple

"In all, ASPI’s research has identified 82 foreign and Chinese companies potentially directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through abusive labour transfer programs as recently as 2019: Abercrombie & Fitch, Acer, Adidas, Alstom, Amazon, Apple, ASUS, BAIC Motor, Bestway, BMW, Bombardier, Bosch, BYD, Calvin Klein, Candy, Carter’s, Cerruti 1881, Changan Automobile, Cisco, CRRC, Dell, Electrolux, Fila, Founder Group, GAC Group (automobiles), Gap, Geely Auto, General Motors, Google, Goertek, H&M, Haier, Hart Schaffner Marx, Hisense, Hitachi, HP, HTC, Huawei, iFlyTek, Jack & Jones, Jaguar, Japan Display Inc., L.L.Bean, Lacoste, Land Rover, Lenovo, LG, Li-Ning, Mayor, Meizu, Mercedes-Benz, MG, Microsoft, Mitsubishi, Mitsumi, Nike, Nintendo, Nokia, Oculus, Oppo, Panasonic, Polo Ralph Lauren, Puma, SAIC Motor, Samsung, SGMW, Sharp, Siemens, Skechers, Sony, TDK, Tommy Hilfiger, Toshiba, Tsinghua Tongfang, Uniqlo, Victoria’s Secret, Vivo, Volkswagen, Xiaomi, Zara, Zegna, ZTE."

https://www.aspi.org.au/report/uyghurs-sale

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#212

Post by natecham » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:26 PM UTC

christophilus wrote: post #34

I’ve decided to leave the Apple ecosystem in 2021. But the problem is not isolated to Apple. In fact, I’d be surprised if other, cheaper products aren’t quite a bit worse. Is there an electronics company that does a better job? (That’s not a rhetorical question.)

Would you consider only buying a used/refurbished phone/computer? Obviously it’s not scalable to the masses, but not putting any money in Apple’s pocket directly

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#213

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:28 PM UTC

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #170

mgh2 wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple fans don’t seem to care, as long as they are getting their magic, nothing else matters...

Apple is Foxconn's biggest customer. But why not call out PlayStation and Nintendo and Amazon and??? The fact is - Apple fans aren't unique. Not many people care about this issue, unfortunately.

[deleted]

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#214

Post by akritrime » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:28 PM UTC

Recently, Apple's supplier, Wistron faced revolt after treating workers unfairly here in India. And India is not really the most shining example of protecting our workers from unfair and harsh working conditions. So, if such treatments don't fly here, I don't think they will fly anywhere else. The kind of labor expectation that these companies have after their stints in China is ethically incompatible with most other countries. So, I can't see the condition improving in the near future, companies will continue chasing profits at all cost and China will remain the most fertile ground to do that.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#215

Post by AnthonyMouse » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:29 PM UTC

tiahura wrote: post #203

fishtacos wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to make sure no one is confused by this either, there is no "volunteer[ing]" in prison.

I'm guessing you've never been incarcerated? There's all sorts of volunteering: such as fixing the TV or coffee maker, teaching other inmates to read, helping another inmate file a frivolous appeal, and so on. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/07/20/538062911/wh... [What's It Really Like To Work In A Prison Goat Milk Farm? We Asked Inmates] But what do the workers themselves think? I find Jeremiah Pate in the…

> They aren't thinking about what was fair on the outside. They were just thinking about their options in prison, and in that perspective, the farm looked pretty good.

You're making the case that it is involuntary. "Do this or we shall do to you something worse against your will" is textbook coercion.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#216

Post by buckminster » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:29 PM UTC

kortilla wrote: post #19

daenz wrote: post #9

"forced labor" It's slavery...modern day slavery. Why are we mincing words? We stand on our soap boxes and preach about historical injustices and how we need to repair them. Well here is your chance to prevent a future historical injustice, and all it takes is for you to take a stand, instead of quietly consuming the products and leaving it for future generations to atone for methods by which those products were prod…

> Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock said the company has confirmed that Lens Technology has not received any labor transfers of Uighur workers from Xinjiang. He said Apple earlier this year ensured that none of its other suppliers are using Uighur labor transferred from Xinjiang. >“Apple has zero tolerance for forced labor,” Rosenstock said. “Looking for the presence of forced labor is part of every supplier assessment…

The labour is not transferred from Xinjiang because the factory in question is in Xinjiang.

This is a masterpiece of weasel-wording.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#217

Post by bdcravens » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:29 PM UTC

person_of_color wrote: post #11

What the fuck is Apple doing here. They could see an iPhone boycott if this blows up.

Others like HTC have also been accused of doing the same. You could put "Google Pixel" in the title.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#218

Post by say_it_as_it_is » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:30 PM UTC

There's a Netflix documentary about the garlic industry where among other concerns journalists reveal that peeled garlic from China is the product of prison slave labor. Many of the prisoners work their hands raw and continue to cut garlic ends with their teeth. Prisoners have a daily quota with punishment for not meeting it.

I haven't come across peeled garlic that wasn't from China or was unlabeled. So, I stopped buying it entirely.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#219

Post by christophilus » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:30 PM UTC

natecham wrote: post #212

christophilus wrote: post #34

I’ve decided to leave the Apple ecosystem in 2021. But the problem is not isolated to Apple. In fact, I’d be surprised if other, cheaper products aren’t quite a bit worse. Is there an electronics company that does a better job? (That’s not a rhetorical question.)

Would you consider only buying a used/refurbished phone/computer? Obviously it’s not scalable to the masses, but not putting any money in Apple’s pocket directly

I only buy used phones. But I rarely buy used computers / monitors. Those are my bread and butter, so reliability matters.

Re: Apple’s longtime supplier accused of using forced labor in China

#220

Post by baybal2 » Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 5:32 PM UTC

jordan_curve wrote: post #53

daenz wrote: post #9

"forced labor" It's slavery...modern day slavery. Why are we mincing words? We stand on our soap boxes and preach about historical injustices and how we need to repair them. Well here is your chance to prevent a future historical injustice, and all it takes is for you to take a stand, instead of quietly consuming the products and leaving it for future generations to atone for methods by which those products were prod…

It’s not slavery. They’re similar atrocities though. It would be weird to refer to the people in Auchwitz-II as slaves.

It is slavery.

> It would be weird to refer to the people in Auchwitz-II as slaves.

People in Auchwitz-II were enslaved, thus they were slaves, subjects of economic exploitation in their life, and death.

It's just we never, and for a wrong reason, talk about the original motive behind NSDAPs attack on Jews, and other minorities.

That motive is the same as for whatever else form of forced labour — class warfare, as was the case for many other pretexts for genocide in history.

The type of hatred NSDAP managed to peddle the most was not for hatred of Jewish people for being Jewish as such, but for Jewish people being rich.

NSDAPs first attacks on Jewish people were spun around the message of class warfare. NSDAPs biggest sell for Kristallnacht was the opportunity for poor angry underclasses to get from rags to riches in one night by robbing homes, and businesses of rich Jewish families with impunity after all.