It’s likely that parts in your iPhone, Mac, PC, and even your car were built by Uyghurs who were ripped away from their families and homes because of their religion and forced to work in factories. It’s a dark and bitter truth. Hopefully, a law will change that. Until then, Apple’s trying to be better on their own. But why only now?
Apple has begun phasing out their involvement with O-Film. O-Film supplies camera modules to a large variety of electronics and even car manufacturers. A report implicated the company with China’s forced labor practices in April, and the United States Department of Commerce added O-Film to a list of human rights violators in July. Finally, with a report that Apple is trying to undermine a bill made to prevent the import of goods made by Uyghur forced labor, Apple has entered damage control mode. They’re now working to sever ties with companies using forced labor.
It’s about damn time.
A Delayed Response
Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Amazon, Sony, HP, Dell, Lenovo, GM, all of them knew O-Film was guilty of human rights abuses back in April. That’s when a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published proof of forced labor in these factories. They’ve largely done nothing. Since then, the U.S. Department of Commerce also labeled the company a human rights violator, specifically for their treatment of Uyghur Muslims.
If O-Film is a human rights abuser for using forced labor the Chinese government has supplied, what does that make Apple? Or Microsoft? Every one of these companies has knowingly and willingly used forced labor. Doesn’t that make them guilty as well?
Barbed wire fences, watch towers, and facial recognition define the factories. Photo: Anna Fifield/The Washington Post
Apple and other companies have a difficult choice, and it comes down to the almighty dollar. If they stop using these companies, they’ll have to announce delays or halt production while they find new suppliers. That will cause their stock prices to fall. Shareholders may demand changes in leadership. Customers will be unhappy. They may go to competition. But if companies do the wrong thing? These human rights abuses went largely unnoticed and uncontested for months. A little longer won’t hurt their bottom line, and it certainly won’t be enough to trigger a boycott from people already worn down by an election cycle and a devastating year.
Doing the right thing could cost Apple money and jobs. Doing the wrong thing likely won’t lead to any consequences… for Apple. You can likely guess what Apple and nearly every company knowingly benefiting from slave labor did.
A Phase-Out
As it turns out, Apple has been looking to phase O-Film out for some time. Currently, they’re only using O-Film for camera units on older devices. O-Film supplied “mid-10%” of Apple’s camera modules. In comparison, 50% of Apple’s modules, including their new triple lens and LiDAR sensors come from LG, with 30% coming from Sharp. Apple has already moved on from O-Film, but will continue to do so. They may try to find other firms for their older device cameras as well.
Apple didn’t move swiftly enough here. No one did. With the U.S. Government finally taking action against China’s oppression of the Uyghur people, perhaps we’ll finally see these companies refusing to do business with slavers. Since morality wasn’t enough of a motivator, perhaps the law will be.
Sources:
- Oliver Haslam, iMore
- Gijong Lee, The Elec
- Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac
- Amber Neely, AppleInsider