The U.S. commerce department is adding 11 China-based companies on the list of companies allegedly committing human rights violations against the Uighur, an ethnic group in east and central Asia, The Telegraph reported.
But how did Amazon, Google, Apple, and other tech companies find themselves into this issue?
Right as these Chinese companies are added to the list for allegedly committing human rights abuses against these minorities and Muslim groups from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, one of these companies, Nanchang O-Film Tech is reportedly partnered with several mainstream tech and automobile companies.
These companies include Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Dell, GM, Google, and more.
'Forced labor'
The U.S. commerce department said that these companies have committed "mass arbitrary detention, forced labor, involuntary collection of biometric data and genetic analysis" against these minorities, and will face restriction on American products, particularly in technology.
According to another report on Digital Trends, information from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's International Cyber Policy Centre entitled Uyghurs For Sale, revealed that since 2017, millions of Uighur and members of the Turkic Muslim minorities are sent to camps in Xinjiang for re-education, but are subject to forced labor and political indoctrination to give up their current beliefs.
The Institute is a think tank supported by the Australian government, and funded by the country's defense department, the report further noted..
"Beijing actively promotes the reprehensible practice of forced labor and abusive DNA collection and analysis schemes to repress its citizens," commerce department secretary Wilbur Ross said. "This action will ensure that our goods and technologies are not used in the Chinese Communist Party's despicable offensive against defenseless Muslim minority populations."
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No responses to comment
The company being accused, Nanchang O-Film Tech, has made no comments with the media as of press time. Even the tech companies they are partnered with, Amazon, Apple, GM, Microsoft, and Dell have not responded to the accusation.
These actions are part of the efforts from the U.S. government to curb these illegal activities from mainland Chinese companies. O-Film is allegedly using cameras, fingerprint sensors, and more to impose their principles upon these minorities, as they source out their information.
For instance, Apple is known for its yearly reports on its supplies, but apparently, it seems to hide several poor working conditions, including child labor and workers' safety. Also, Amazon has been accused of not providing sufficient health benefits to their employees in light of the pandemic.
There are now more than 40 companies listed by the U.S. Department of Commerce that allegedly violates human rights policies. These efforts are expected to further protect the rights of these groups.
