Activists want Apple import ban over forced labor
The Campaign for Accountability has filed a formal complaint with US Customs and Border Protection over Apple's alleged use of forced labor in China.

A facility owned by Lens Technology, one of Apple's partners accused of using forced labor
The Campaign for Accountability (CfA) has previously accused Apple of "aggressive" lobbying, and monitored the company removing 94,000 games from the China App Store. Now it, with its parent company Tech Transparency Project (TTP) has formally submitted its research to the US Customs and Border Protection agency regarding forced labor.
"This research is based on hard evidence: Chinese-language media reports, government announcements, and even videos posted online," said the CfA in a statement. "Yet in the face of such detailed allegations raised by TTP and others, Apple has consistently refused to acknowledge the problem, repeatedly issuing the same blanket denial about its suppliers' use of minority Uyghur laborers."
The CfA wants a Withhold Release Order "that prevents the importation of Apple products linked to forced labor." It says Apple is in contravention of the Tariff Act of 1930, which prohibit importing merchandise made under these conditions.
The specific complaints include Apple's buying retail employee uniforms from a subsidiary of Esquel Group, which is facing sanctions over alleged human rights violations.
Similarly, the CfA claims it has documentary evidence from 2020 of forced labor being used by Apple supplier Lens Technology.
"[At the time] Apple said Lens Tech had received no Uyghur labor transfers from Xinjiang, despite video evidence unearthed by TTP of Uyghur Lens Tech workers," continues the statement. "Later, in July 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported that Lens Tech had phased out Uyghur laborers transferred from Xinjiang-- confirming that the company had engaged in the practice."
Many of the people said to be subject to forced labor are Uyghurs from the Xinjiang, allegedly used by the wind farm company Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology, which has previously partnered with Apple.
"Overall, Apple seems unable or unwilling to conduct basic due diligence research on its partners in China, or to acknowledge its repeated use of forced labor in China," says the CfA.
"By filing this complaint," it concludes, "Campaign for Accountability hopes that Customs and Border Protection will help spur the company to respect the rights of Uyghurs and take seriously its stated commitment to human rights and a safe, noncoercive workplace."
Apple has not responded to the complaint filing.
Read on AppleInsider

A facility owned by Lens Technology, one of Apple's partners accused of using forced labor
The Campaign for Accountability (CfA) has previously accused Apple of "aggressive" lobbying, and monitored the company removing 94,000 games from the China App Store. Now it, with its parent company Tech Transparency Project (TTP) has formally submitted its research to the US Customs and Border Protection agency regarding forced labor.
"This research is based on hard evidence: Chinese-language media reports, government announcements, and even videos posted online," said the CfA in a statement. "Yet in the face of such detailed allegations raised by TTP and others, Apple has consistently refused to acknowledge the problem, repeatedly issuing the same blanket denial about its suppliers' use of minority Uyghur laborers."
The CfA wants a Withhold Release Order "that prevents the importation of Apple products linked to forced labor." It says Apple is in contravention of the Tariff Act of 1930, which prohibit importing merchandise made under these conditions.
The specific complaints include Apple's buying retail employee uniforms from a subsidiary of Esquel Group, which is facing sanctions over alleged human rights violations.
Similarly, the CfA claims it has documentary evidence from 2020 of forced labor being used by Apple supplier Lens Technology.
"[At the time] Apple said Lens Tech had received no Uyghur labor transfers from Xinjiang, despite video evidence unearthed by TTP of Uyghur Lens Tech workers," continues the statement. "Later, in July 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported that Lens Tech had phased out Uyghur laborers transferred from Xinjiang-- confirming that the company had engaged in the practice."
Many of the people said to be subject to forced labor are Uyghurs from the Xinjiang, allegedly used by the wind farm company Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology, which has previously partnered with Apple.
"Overall, Apple seems unable or unwilling to conduct basic due diligence research on its partners in China, or to acknowledge its repeated use of forced labor in China," says the CfA.
"By filing this complaint," it concludes, "Campaign for Accountability hopes that Customs and Border Protection will help spur the company to respect the rights of Uyghurs and take seriously its stated commitment to human rights and a safe, noncoercive workplace."
Apple has not responded to the complaint filing.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Happily pushing the PRC's propaganda, again.
As you push yours....
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-authorities-say-overtime-996-policy-is-illegal-2021-08-27/
But this link from June, better explains why China was engaged in 996;
https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3136510/what-996-gruelling-work-culture-polarising-chinas-silicon-valley
Essentially, the PRC want's to reign in business, partly due to inequality, but also do to fear of Chinese citizen backlash. In reality, this is Xi taking more control of corporations.
It appears that China's rapid economic growth has hit its S curve. China looks even less likely to ever exceed the U.S. GDP, which was expected to happen by 2028, but is certainly delayed;
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-economy-likely-to-outgrow-chinas-due-to-contrast-in-pandemic-responses-11629036000
I'm guessing that 995 is still A-Okay.
I'd also surmise that a 40 hour work wee seems to be a better balance.
Nice spin!
But not spin; informed.
It's so little effort, really, what with Google Search, or whatever your favorite search engine, and an open system of government, Democracy, that allows most of the world access to a wide range of information needed to make informed decisions, and frankly, to live better.
You should try it.
Just type in what you are looking for in the browser bar, unless of course, you happen to live in an authoritarian state.
Then, it doesn't really work all that well.
But you can ask Waveparticle about that; he'd know.
On the other hand, here in silicon valley, high tech firms have people working for long hours. For example, Google has cafeteria that serves meals 24 hours a day for free.