Silicon Sweatshops

November 19, 2009 11:10 AM

Silicon Sweatshops is a five-part investigation of the supply chains that produce many of the world’s most popular technology products, from Apple iPhones, to Nokia cell phones, Dell keyboards and more. The series examines the scope of the problem, including its effects on workers from the Philippines, Taiwan and China. It also looks at a novel factory program that may be a blueprint for solving this perennial industry problem.
posted by Joe Beese (9 comments total)

Oh, super interesting topic. Cannot wait to read this. Thank you very much for this post.
posted by bearwife at 11:15 AM on November 19, 2009

Relatedly, here's an article about the other end of the line.
posted by Pollomacho at 11:28 AM on November 19, 2009

But she looks so happy.
posted by rokusan at 12:18 PM on November 19, 2009

But she looks so happy.

She better not lose that Iphone.
posted by peppito at 12:42 PM on November 19, 2009

You're missing "nokia" and "dell" tags, or maybe it's a deliberate omission?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:35 PM on November 19, 2009

I love the "This content is sponsored by Seimens" ad at the beginning, a company that not only makes lots of high-tech products today, but actually used slave labor in Nazi concentration camps.

Talk about poor ad placement.
posted by delmoi at 1:52 PM on November 19, 2009

Blazecock Pileon: "You're missing "nokia" and "dell" tags, or maybe it's a deliberate omission?"

They seemed relatively incidental to the "evil Apple" narrative. (One I was feeling sympathetic towards at the time.) But I've gone ahead and added them.
posted by Joe Beese at 2:01 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]

Man whatever I know a guy who's got an application on his iPhone that makes like a dozen different fart noises which is the greatest use of technology ever and totally worth all the social and environmental destruction these articles allege. You can barely fucking make phone calls on the piece of shit but, hey, buddy - *PFFFFFAAAAARRRPPPPTTTT*
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:21 PM on November 19, 2009

Another Foxconn official told China’s, Southern Metropolitan Daily that the mystery girl had not been fired,

Do you really need to go through the formality of firing someone after they've been dragged out back and shot in the head?
posted by MikeMc at 4:55 PM on November 19, 2009