Every time that you hear the ping of a new notification on your phone, it’s easy to think about what is happening in your life: a new group chat message, or how many likes the Instagram story that you just posted received. However, the truth behind virtually every screen is a story of exploitation, violence and the terrors of war.
In 2012, the March 23 rebel group (M23) seized control of North Kivu, a province in the western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Emerging as a result of the Rwandan Civil War, the group’s primary objective is to seize the profit of valuable mines.
The DRC is one of the richest countries on Earth in raw mineral wealth. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 70% of the world’s cobalt supply lies within DRC’s borders. These resources should have been what transformed the DRC’s future, but instead, they’ve fueled violence and ongoing exploitation.
By taking control of these valuable resources, M23 is able to funnel capital through taxing exports to fund their military initiatives. Humanitarian organizations have documented the atrocities of the conflict. Congolese citizens are being forced to mine, with exploitation and sexual violence being used against them as a weapon of war.
What connects this conflict to our daily lives are those exact resources. From the cobalt mined under gunpoint, to the copper ore that a child was forced to dig up, they all find their way to our phones, laptops, electric cars and even vaping devices. This humanitarian crisis is not just thousands of miles away; it is in your pocket.
Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and other tech giants claim the manufacturing of their products is “conflict-free,” but the reality is less transparent. Minerals of this supply chain get passed through countless manufacturing processes, meaning it is almost impossible to guarantee that the sourcing of these minerals is completely ethical. Large corporations often turn a blind eye to whether or not sourcing commodities violates international human rights.
We cannot pretend that our convenience is innocent. We must show restraint when it comes to overconsuming products from tech giants such as Apple. We live in a society where technology is embedded in everything, making disengagement virtually impossible. However, purchasing the newest iPhone every year isn’t a necessity, and it is funding Apple as well as the atrocities of the M23 group.
Though these alternatives do not completely eliminate complicity, they lower the demand for minerals extracted through violence. It is important to understand that each and almost all of technology that fuels our modern lives is fueled by war and bloodshed.
