As detailed in a new report from CNET, the US Department of Commerce has added 11 Chinese companies to its list of those implicated in human rights violations. Among those 11 companies is one that serves as a supplier or partner for countless big tech companies, including Apple.
The report explains that Nanchang O-Film Tech has links to Apple and other tech companies:
The Commerce Department said that these 11 Chinese companies supported “mass arbitrary detention, forced labor, involuntary collection of biometric data, and genetic analysis” of Uighurs and other minority groups. The companies will all now face restrictions on United States products and technology.
Nanchang O-Film Tech makes cameras, touchscreens, and fingerprint sensors, but its exact relationship with Apple is unclear. Apple publishes annual supplier reports as well as a full list of the 200 largest suppliers with which it works. The company has yet to publish its 2020 list of suppliers, but as of the 2019 release, O-Film Tech makes the cut.
You can read the full announcement from the US Commerce Department here.
