Tech giants sued over deaths of children who mine cobalt

Post by EncryptEntropy » Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 4:52 PM UTC

FussyZeus wrote: post #106

vinniejames wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only reason "they know your shoe size" is because you carry around a $1000 phone that tracks your every move and spend all your disposable income through their platforms. The same cannot be said for the poor Cobalt miners, so no they can't just will that info into existence simply because they "want to know"

This is not some arcane magic here. This is making companies responsible for the vetting of their suppliers. Do you know how hard it would be for Apple to check out a mining operation? A plane trip and a few days of a couple people's time. That's fucking it. That is NOTHING to a company like Apple, it would barely be a rounding error in their budget. And if the mine is in the midst of a warzone and you can't be sure…

Post by count » Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 4:58 PM UTC

adaml_623 wrote: post #107

manigandham wrote: post #82

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Places where rule of the land (or lack thereof) already lets this happen is unlikely to change simply from increased margins. Most likely they’ll just pocket the increased profit with no improvement in conditions.

Responsible businesses do full inspections of their supply chains. All the way back to the farms which grow the food.

Post by netcan » Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 5:00 PM UTC

celticmusic wrote: post #138

solidasparagus wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree, but if we want to actually help, we need to work with the world the way it is, not the way we wish it was. Moral grandstanding helps us feel good more than it helps the people who are actually suffering. There will always be uncertainty about the supply chain. That's the nature of the mineral trade AFAIK.

taking the stance that the exploitation of children is unacceptable and punishing anyone who does work with those who exploit children is not moral grandstanding.

Post by jcranmer » Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 5:02 PM UTC

richmarr wrote: post #68

afarrell wrote: post #52

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Or the producers of that cobalt will just find someone else in Shenzhen to sell to. This problem should be tackled, but it is worth thinking about likely unintended consequences of whatever power structures you set up to tackle it. I hear the Belgians have some experience ending slavery in parts of Africa.

If you offer them a better margin to mine in a more ethically palettable way, and any up-front resources to do so, then it's reasonable to assume that they will. I think this quickly gets into the details though. How much safety is required and what does it cost? Are there alternative materials that cost less than ethical cobalt? What age restrictions should be put on the labour involved and what will those children…

Post by papreclip » Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 5:08 PM UTC

qaq wrote: post #16

I like how people get outraged at US tech giants but gracefully ignore the fact that Glencore which actually is the beneficiary of exploiting the children is based in Europe. It's no small target either with annual revenue of 219.8 billion in 2018 vs Google's 136.