Friday Sync-Up: Apple & The Uyghurs

Every Friday, I present a topic or question for our merry band of thinkers, leaders, ...

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Every Friday, I present a topic or question for our merry band of thinkers, leaders, and pirates to discuss in an open thread. Here is this week’s conversation starter:

An investigation by The Information asserts that seven of Apple’s suppliers use forced labor from China’s Xinjiang Province. These suppliers, according to the report, participate in labor programs that are a part of China’s genocide against Uyghur Muslims — directly contradicting the company’s previous statements and findings.

Question: If proven true, how would you like Apple to respond? Would it change your willingness to buy Apple products if no changes were made?

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Comments (21)
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  1. Fred

    I already boycott all Apple products because of their policies (as well as the sexual preferences of their leader) so, no, it would not change my attitudes or actions regarding Apple,

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  2. Cole

    I’m not at all surprised as tech companies and others disregard Chinese slave labor and other inhumane labor practices. I see that many large companies choose profit over people and in the case of many tech companies I’d argue profit over patriotism as well. As I type this on an Apple device I can say this doesn’t influence me. Their politics influenced me already to move away from their company the next time I upgrade. Struggling to find a comparable device though.

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  3. Logos

    This may be another example of globalization downside. While I strongly oppose Chinese social control policies, I do not think applying damaging pressure on Apple or any other US company is viable.
    Chinese social policies are just that, Chinese, and our insistence that they change is not in our interest either as a nation or in the business world.

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  4. Klopez

    I would drop Apple if true.

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  5. TF

    If true, Apple should announce to the world that the Chinese are involved with using forced labor. This is important because many people do not know about it. They should then cancel all contracts known to be involved with this practice. I do not purchase Apple products so there is little I can personally do about it. No doubt there are many other manufacturers using forced Chinese labor.

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  6. D. Klindt

    If proven true then I would no longer buy Apple products unless they committed, and quickly moved in a direction, to stop using the suppliers involved using forced labor.

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  7. Mike Kevitt

    I'd like to see Apple try and find a way to force those suppliers to quit using ANY forced labor, because forced labor is a crime. If a government, ANY government, such as that of China, uses forced labor, that's a crime of a higher degree. Whether such effort by Apple succeeds or not, I'd like to see it drop those suppliers totally and get new, non-criminal suppliers who get supplies from outside China.

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    1. Mike Kevitt

      I forgot the other part of the question. I really don't know if I have been buying anything from Apple, but if it keeps being supplied by criminal suppliers, I'd quit buying from it if I have been, and/or I wouldn't start buying from it.

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  8. Scott Rader

    China develops and (ab)uses a social score on it's people while secretly(?) committing genocide against others... The epitome of hypocrisy... The US has import/export compliance requirements that prohibit commerce with foreign entities that make, for example, nuclear weapons... That should be expanded to include prohibiting commerce with foreign entities that commit genocide and other atrocities... (Of course, having said that, it may ultimately bubble down to social scores, or simply controlling behavior, on individuals, just like China...) For Apple, I stopped using their products many years ago because I didn't like being forced within their ecosystem... I think they should be fined $1T (or more?) to pay down the US debt that we rack up paying to the UN (and others) who are supposed to be speaking out on this kind of behavior...

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  9. JimmyinTEXAS

    I don't buy Apple products anyway but... If proven true Apple should be corporately responsible enough to just shutter the buildings and go out of business to show their brokenness and contriteness.

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  10. Tony L.

    Truly amazes me (ok... not really) how Apple and others promote environmentalism and "convenient-socialist-garbage-du-jour" in the US while simultaneously supporting - i.e., promoting - human rights abuses in China. I suppose we're not supposed to see and question the reprehensible and blatant hypocrisy. I'm in the market for a new tablet and phone & this makes me think twice about buying Apple - I'll be researching the alternatives where I would have previously stayed with what I know.

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