Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

A Reason to Wait for iPhone 4: Rape and Genocide in The Congo

by Matthew Zuras on June 28, 2010 at 03:50 PM

hands of a miner
Thanks to Apple's rabid PR push and to media coverage, almost every little detail of the iPhone 4 has been documented -- except for one minor factoid, that is. The phone, like several other luxury electronics on the market, may contain minerals supplied by bloodthirsty Congolese paramilitary groups. Most of us should recall the controversy over the origins of so-called "blood diamonds," or "conflict diamonds," precious stones that financed violent warlords in the Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Angola, around the turn of the last decade. Now, human rights groups are targeting tech companies like Apple, Intel and RIM for alleged abuses caused by their supply chains.

Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times wrote this weekend on the problem of "blood phones." The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently embroiled in the bloodiest and most violent conflict this planet has seen since World War II, a civil war that has claimed over 5.4 million lives since 2007, and has earned the country's eastern region the nickname "the rape capital of the world." The country is home to rich deposits of "conflict minerals," such as tantalum, which is used to make capacitors in electronic equipment, and is sold by militias via unscrupulous suppliers to major tech manufacturers.

According to a 2008 report by the New York Times, conflict mineral mines in the eastern DRC are worked by locals, including children, in shifts that extend up to 48 hours. Over half of them work under the watch of armed groups that coerce and subdue civilians with rape, violence and murder.

That's not to say that manufacturers like Apple are directly responsible for the actions of rebel groups; they have simply settled for their suppliers' assurances of clean origins with no verification. But human rights organizations like The Enough Project have been petitioning tech companies through Facebook and YouTube (video below) to take the extra step and ensure that their components aren't fueling Congolese violence. In fact, as a result of a protest against Intel, lawmakers introduced an amendment to the recent financial reform legislation, saying that companies must report their use of conflict minerals.

But, until we start seeing phones labeled "conflict free" (as are many diamonds nowadays), we should hesitate to jump on the 2,000-person-strong line outside the Apple Store for a new iPhone 4. Although Apple says it believes its suppliers' promises of blood-free origins, The Enough Project estimates that verification would only add about a penny to the price of a cell phone. If you're interested in learning more about ways to get involved, check out RaiseHopeForCongo.org. [From: New York Times]

Tags: apple, BloodDiamonds, CellPhone, cellphones, CivilWar, ConflictMinerals, congo, genocide, intel, iphone, iphone 4, Iphone4, nicholas d kristoff, NicholasDKristoff, rape, smartphones, tantalum, TheEnoughProject, top, toyota, war

Comments

2

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular