A major Chinese consumer electronics supplier, Lens Technology, has been accused of using forced Uighur workers from the predominantly Muslim region of Xinjiang, China, according to a report by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) shared with The Verge.
The report says that Lens Technology – a glass gadget supplier for companies like Amazon, Apple and Tesla – used thousands of these workers as part of the Chinese government’s arrest and forced labor campaign against the Uighur minority. The Washington Post first reported on TTP’s findings on Tuesday.
TTP’s investigation cites media reports of Global Times of China and government records, which allegedly show that Lens Technology sent thousands of workers from Xinjiang to work in its factories in Hunan province as part of a “poverty reduction” program run by the Xinjiang – Suzhou Chamber of Commerce. TTP also cites an online video entitled “Lens Tech Uyghurs celebrating National Day”, which shows hundreds of workers sitting on the floor outside a building with banners revealing the origins of workers in Xinjiang and their employment at Lens Technology.
Many of these workers lived in indoctrination camps and are often forced to renounce Islam and learn Mandarin before being transported to various factories across China, according to extensive reports on the crisis.
Apple has denied any role or connection with China’s forced labor practices, saying it regularly investigates its suppliers as part of its audit process and has seen no evidence that Lens Technology has used these workers on Apple’s production lines.
“Apple has zero tolerance for forced labor. The search for the presence of forced labor is part of all supplier assessments we carry out, including surprise audits, ”said Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock in a statement. “Earlier this year, we confirmed that none of our suppliers have Uighur workers from Xinjiang ‘pairing programs’ on any Apple production line.”
The TTP report is consistent with that statement, as it only aims to show Xinjiang workers at Lens, rather than working specifically on Apple components. Still, it is a disturbing reminder of the limits of supply chain audit efforts and how little is known publicly about many prominent technology providers, especially as the Chinese government resists the efforts of independent external agencies and human rights groups to investigate working conditions and labor practices in the country.
Neither Amazon nor Tesla were immediately available to comment on contracts with Lens Technology.
An important BuzzFeed News An investigation published on Monday further revealed the extent of China’s campaign against the Uighur minority, including an analysis of the vast network of factories the government has built within its detention camps to put Xinjiang residents in prison to work. The investigation also cites a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute identifying nearly 100 companies with suppliers who used Uighur workers outside the Xinjiang region who were forcibly relocated and placed in labor camps. The list includes top brands like Apple and Amazon, as well as H&M, Nike, Nintendo and dozens more.
Outside China, concern has steadily grown with the government’s treatment of Uighurs, which began under the guise of combating foreign extremism and promoting the values of the Chinese Community Party. Human rights activists and observers fiercely criticized detention camps and relocation and forced labor programs. More recently, these groups have called on companies like Apple to take more energetic stances against abuse.
The TTP report also says that the focus on Apple is justified because of the company’s role in allegedly lobbying against the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act, a bill that would sanction US technology companies for connections to the campaign. Chinese government forced labor, according to a separate report. in The Washington Post published last month.