Apple has been asked to verify that it doesn't use "conflict minerals" in the iPhone. Apple has been formally accused by Congo of covering up war crimes by using conflict minerals in its supply chain, and criminal complaints have been filed in France and Belgium.
Apple and at least most Big Tech manufacturers have long been accused of sourcing tin, tungsten, and tantalum — the 3T materials — from regions where that means funding violent groups. And now, Apple has picked up two criminal complaints, lodged by the Congo government.
The complaint alleges that conflict minerals are laundered through multiple sales and shell companies before hitting Apple suppliers. Therefore, according to the filing spotted by Reuters early Tuesday morning, Apple is directly responsible, is complicit, and should be held accountable for crimes against humanity taking place in Congo.
Specifically, the accusations filed in France and Belgium are focused on alleged failures by conflict mineral tracking body ITSCI. That group is a group funded by the metals industry, that certifies materials leaving Congo and other conflict zones as free of slave labor, and from official sources.
The complaint in France alleges that ITSCI isn't a reliable certification source. In fact, the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) is one of the groups discrediting ITSCI. RMI removed ITSCI from its list of reliable accountability monitors for conflict mineral in 2022, and won't be reinstated until 2026 at the earliest.
